Concurrent occurrence of human and equine West Nile virus infections in Central Anatolia, Turkey: the first evidence for circulation of lineage 1 viruses.
Abstract: West Nile fever is an important zoonotic infection caused by West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae. Previous serological data from Turkey suggest widespread WNV circulation. This report includes cases of human and equine WNV infections occurring concurrently, and manifesting as central nervous system infections, in two neighboring provinces of Central Anatolia, Turkey. A partial phylogenetic analysis of the causative virus is given for the first time. Methods: The cases were reported in February (horses) and March (human). Symptoms of the disease were similar in the two species, characterized by neurological manifestations suggesting meningoencephalitis. Real-time/nested PCRs and commercial immunoassays and a plaque reduction neutralization assay were employed for the detection of viral RNA and specific antibodies, respectively. Results: WNV RNAs were detected in buffy coat (horses) and cerebrospinal fluid (human) samples. Partial nucleotide sequences of the E-gene coding region revealed that the strains are closely related to viruses of lineage 1, clade 1a. Accompanying equine serosurveillance demonstrated WNV-specific antibodies in 31.6% of the samples. Conclusions: This is the first report of acute WNV infections caused by lineage 1 strains from Turkey, in concordance with previous reports from some European and North African countries.
Copyright © 2013 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2013-03-19 PubMed ID: 23517780DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2013.02.005Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Case Reports
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Central Nervous System
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Infectious Disease
- Lineage
- Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Neurological Diseases
- Phylogenetic Analysis
- Public Health
- Serological Surveys
- Seroprevalence
- Vector-borne disease
- Virology
- Virus
- West Nile Virus
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The research article discusses the simultaneous occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) infections in humans and horses in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It presents the first evidence of lineage 1 viruses’ circulation in the area.
Introduction
- The study focuses on West Nile fever, a notable zoonotic infection caused by West Nile virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family.
- The context is based on prior serological data from Turkey that implies widespread circulation of WNV.
- Highlighted are the concurrent cases of human and equine WNV infections transpiring in Central Anatolia, Turkey, the diseases demonstrating as infections in the central nervous system.
Methods
- The cases were reported in two instances – February for horses and March for the human case.
- The disease showcased similar symptoms in both human and equine hosts, chiefly neurological signs indicative of meningoencephalitis – an inflammation of the brain and its surrounding membranes.
- The study employs real-time/nested PCRs and commercial immunoassays, including a plaque reduction neutralization assay, to detect the presence of viral RNA and specifically targeted antibodies.
Results
- The researchers detected WNV RNAs in the buffy coat samples from the horses and cerebrospinal fluid samples from the human subject.
- A partial nucleotide sequence analysis of the E-gene coding region unveiled that the strains were closely related to those of lineage 1, clade 1a.
- Results also showed WNV-specific antibodies in 31.6% of the tested equine samples under concurrent equine serosurveillance.
Conclusion
- The study concludes by noting that this is the first recorded instance of acute WNV infections brought about by lineage 1 strains in Turkey.
- The findings coincide with previous reports from some European and North African countries.
Cite This Article
APA
Ozkul A, Ergunay K, Koysuren A, Alkan F, Arsava EM, Tezcan S, Emekdas G, Hacioglu S, Turan M, Us D.
(2013).
Concurrent occurrence of human and equine West Nile virus infections in Central Anatolia, Turkey: the first evidence for circulation of lineage 1 viruses.
Int J Infect Dis, 17(7), e546-e551.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2013.02.005 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Irfan Bastug Cad. Diskapi, Ankara 06110, Turkey. ozkul@ankara.edu.tr
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Cerebrospinal Fluid / virology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Phylogeny
- RNA, Viral / genetics
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Turkey / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / immunology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- West Nile virus / genetics
- West Nile virus / isolation & purification
Citations
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