FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Epidemiol Infect / Emerging arboviruses in Quebec, Canada: assessing public hea...
Epidemiology and infection2017; 145(14); 2940-2948; doi: 10.1017/S0950268817002205

Emerging arboviruses in Quebec, Canada: assessing public health risk by serology in humans, horses and pet dogs.

Abstract: Periodic outbreaks of West Nile virus (WNV), Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and to a lesser extent, California serogroup viruses (CSGV), have been reported in parts of Canada in the last decade. This study was designed to provide a broad assessment of arboviral activity in Quebec, Canada, by conducting serological surveys for these arboviruses in 196 horses, 1442 dogs and 485 humans. Sera were screened by a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and positive samples confirmed by plaque reduction neutralisation tests. The percentage of seropositive samples was 83·7%, 16·5%, 7·1% in horses, 18·8%, 0·6%, 0% in humans, 11·7%, 3·1%, 0% in adult dogs and 2·9%, 0·3%, 0% in juvenile dogs for CSGV, WNV and EEEV, respectively. Serological results in horses and dogs appeared to provide a meaningful assessment of risk to public health posed by multiple arboviruses.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2017-09-28 PubMed ID: 28956525PubMed Central: PMC9152755DOI: 10.1017/S0950268817002205Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the risk of certain virus outbreaks in Quebec, Canada by conducting tests in horses, dogs, and humans. Viruses studied include the West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, and the California serogroup viruses.

Study Overview and Methodology

  • This study aims to evaluate the risk for outbreaks of certain viruses in Quebec, Canada. The viruses of interest are the West Nile virus (WNV), Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and to a lesser extent, the California serogroup viruses (CSGV).
  • In order to achieve this, the research team carried out serological surveys on 196 horses, 1442 dogs, and 485 humans.
  • The chosen method for screening was a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a technique used to detect the presence of antibodies in a blood sample. Any potentially positive samples were then further examined using plaque reduction neutralisation tests. These tests measure the ability of an individual’s antibodies to neutralize a virus and prevent it from causing an infection.

Findings of the Study

  • The results of the screening showed varying percentages of seropositive samples. In horses, these figures were 83.7%, 16.5%, and 7.1% for CSGV, WNV, and EEEV respectively. Humans showed 18.8% seropositivity for CSGV and 0.6% for WNV with no EEEV seropositivity. In adult dogs, percentages were 11.7% for CSGV, 3.1% for WNV and no EEEV seropositivity, while in juvenile dogs, these percentages were 2.9% for CSGV, 0.3% for WNV, and again, no EEEV seropositivity.
  • The researchers inferred that the findings in horses and dogs could act as a valuable indicator of the potential risk for public health from the targeted arboviruses.

Implications of the Research

  • The high percentage of seropositivity, especially in horses, shows there is a considerable level of prior infection or exposure to these viruses. This suggests that these animal populations could act as effective ‘sentinels’ for viral activity.
  • The relatively lower seropositivity rates in humans show that either there’s limited exposure or there might be under-reporting of these infections due to unknown or asymptomatic cases.
  • Monitoring levels of antibodies in dog and horse populations could provide an advance warning of potential public health risks associated with these arboviruses.

Cite This Article

APA
Rocheleau JP, Michel P, Lindsay LR, Drebot M, Dibernardo A, Ogden NH, Fortin A, Arsenault J. (2017). Emerging arboviruses in Quebec, Canada: assessing public health risk by serology in humans, horses and pet dogs. Epidemiol Infect, 145(14), 2940-2948. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268817002205

Publication

Epidemiology and infection
ISSN: 1469-4409
NlmUniqueID: 8703737
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 145
Issue: 14
Pages: 2940-2948

Researcher Affiliations

Rocheleau, J P
  • Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec,Canada.
Michel, P
  • Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec,Canada.
Lindsay, L R
  • National Microbiology Laboratory,Public Health Agency of Canada,Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada.
Drebot, M
  • National Microbiology Laboratory,Public Health Agency of Canada,Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada.
Dibernardo, A
  • National Microbiology Laboratory,Public Health Agency of Canada,Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada.
Ogden, N H
  • Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec,Canada.
Fortin, A
  • Institut national de santé publique,Québec, Québec,Canada.
Arsenault, J
  • Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec,Canada.

MeSH Terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Arbovirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Arbovirus Infections / veterinary
  • Arbovirus Infections / virology
  • Arboviruses / physiology
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / epidemiology
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / virology
  • Dog Diseases / blood
  • Dog Diseases / epidemiology
  • Dog Diseases / virology
  • Dogs
  • Encephalitis Virus, California / physiology
  • Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine / physiology
  • Encephalitis, California / epidemiology
  • Encephalitis, California / virology
  • Encephalomyelitis, Equine / epidemiology
  • Encephalomyelitis, Equine / virology
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / blood
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / virology
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Public Health
  • Quebec / epidemiology
  • West Nile Fever / epidemiology
  • West Nile Fever / virology
  • West Nile virus / physiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

None.

References

This article includes 38 references
  1. Weaver SC, Reisen WK. Present and future arboviral threats.. Antiviral Res 2010 Feb;85(2):328-45.
    pmc: PMC2815176pubmed: 19857523doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2009.10.008google scholar: lookup
  2. Komar N. West Nile virus: epidemiology and ecology in North America.. Adv Virus Res 2003;61:185-234.
    pubmed: 14714433doi: 10.1016/s0065-3527(03)61005-5google scholar: lookup
  3. Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG. Eastern equine encephalitis virus--old enemy, new threat.. N Engl J Med 2013 May 2;368(18):1670-3.
    pubmed: 23635048doi: 10.1056/nejmp1213696google scholar: lookup
  4. Rocheleau JP, Arsenault J, Lindsay LR, DiBernardo A, Kulkarni MA, Côté N, Michel P. Eastern equine encephalitis virus: high seroprevalence in horses from Southern Q, Canada, 2012.. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2013 Oct;13(10):712-8.
    pubmed: 23919607doi: 10.1089/vbz.2012.1242google scholar: lookup
  5. Drebot MA. Emerging mosquito-borne bunyaviruses in Canada.. Can Commun Dis Rep 2015 Jun 4;41(6):117-123.
    pmc: PMC5864308pubmed: 29769943doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v41i06a01google scholar: lookup
  6. Kuhn JH, Peters CJ. Arthropod-borne and rodent-borne virus infections. .
  7. Sorvillo F, Shafir S. Control of microbial threats: population surveillance, vaccine studies, and the microbiological laboratory. .
  8. Government of Canada. Surveillance of West Nile virus. .
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for arboviruses surveillance programs in the United States. .
  10. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Eastern equine encephalitis: history and enhanced surveillance in Ontario. .
  11. Calisher CH, Fremount HN, Vesely WL, el-Kafrawi AO, Mahmud MI. Relevance of detection of immunoglobulin M antibody response in birds used for arbovirus surveillance.. J Clin Microbiol 1986 Nov;24(5):770-4.
    pmc: PMC269026pubmed: 3021813doi: 10.1128/jcm.24.5.770-774.1986google scholar: lookup
  12. Crans WJ. Failure of chickens to act as sentinels during an epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis in southern New Jersey, USA.. J Med Entomol 1986 Dec 4;23(6):626-9.
    pubmed: 3025443doi: 10.1093/jmedent/23.6.626google scholar: lookup
  13. Morris CD, Baker WG, Stark L, Burgess J, Lewis AL. Comparison of chickens and pheasants as sentinels for eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis viruses in Florida.. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 1994 Dec;10(4):545-8.
    pubmed: 7707062
  14. Resnick MP, Grunenwald P, Blackmar D, Hailey C, Bueno R, Murray KO. Juvenile dogs as potential sentinels for West Nile virus surveillance.. Zoonoses Public Health 2008 Oct;55(8-10):443-7.
    pubmed: 18399945doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01116.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  15. Shimoda H, Ohno Y, Mochizuki M, Iwata H, Okuda M, Maeda K. Dogs as sentinels for human infection with Japanese encephalitis virus.. Emerg Infect Dis 2010 Jul;16(7):1137-9.
    pmc: PMC3321903pubmed: 20587189doi: 10.3201/eid1607.091757google scholar: lookup
  16. Kile JC, Panella NA, Komar N, Chow CC, MacNeil A, Robbins B, Bunning ML. Serologic survey of cats and dogs during an epidemic of West Nile virus infection in humans.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005 Apr 15;226(8):1349-53.
    pubmed: 15844427doi: 10.2460/javma.2005.226.1349google scholar: lookup
  17. National Public Health Institute of Q. Strategic impact assessment of the government response plan for public health protection against West Nile virus – Main Report. .
  18. National Public Health Institute of Q. The risk of West Nile Virus in Q and interventions prioritized in 2013. .
  19. Vincent C. Surveillance of eastern equine encephalomyelitis in Q. Proceedings of the 2011 Conference – Event detection and surveillance St-Hyacinthe: Canadian Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, 2011, p. 68.
  20. National Public Health Institute of Q. 2011–2012 Activity report of the Q public health laboratory. .
  21. Q Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Eastern equine encephalomyelitis. .
  22. Q Ministry of Health and Social Services. West Nile Virus – Cases in Humans. .
  23. Statistics Canada. Census Profile 2011 – Health regions (December 2013). .
  24. Chappuis G. Neonatal immunity and immunisation in early age: lessons from veterinary medicine.. Vaccine 1998 Aug-Sep;16(14-15):1468-72.
    pmc: PMC7130764pubmed: 9711790doi: 10.1016/s0264-410x(98)00110-8google scholar: lookup
  25. CLARKE DH, CASALS J. Techniques for hemagglutination and hemagglutination-inhibition with arthropod-borne viruses.. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1958 Sep;7(5):561-73.
    pubmed: 13571577doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1958.7.561google scholar: lookup
  26. Blitvich BJ, Marlenee NL, Hall RA, Calisher CH, Bowen RA, Roehrig JT, Komar N, Langevin SA, Beaty BJ. Epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of serum antibodies to west nile virus in multiple avian species.. J Clin Microbiol 2003 Mar;41(3):1041-7.
    pmc: PMC150274pubmed: 12624027doi: 10.1128/jcm.41.3.1041-1047.2003google scholar: lookup
  27. Beaty BJ, Calisher CH, Shope RS. Arboviruses. In: Schmidt NJ, Emmons RW, eds. Diagnostic Procedures for Viral, Rickettsial and Chlamydial Infections. Washington: American Public Health Association, 1989, pp. 797–856.
  28. Goff G, Whitney H, Drebot MA. Roles of host species, geographic separation, and isolation in the seroprevalence of Jamestown Canyon and snowshoe hare viruses in Newfoundland.. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012 Sep;78(18):6734-40.
    pmc: PMC3426688pubmed: 22798366doi: 10.1128/aem.01351-12google scholar: lookup
  29. Artsob H. Distribution of California serogroup viruses and virus infections in Canada.. Prog Clin Biol Res 1983;123:277-90.
    pubmed: 6135222
  30. Petersen LR, Brault AC, Nasci RS. West Nile virus: review of the literature.. JAMA 2013 Jul 17;310(3):308-15.
    pmc: PMC4563989pubmed: 23860989doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.8042google scholar: lookup
  31. Molaei G, Andreadis TG, Armstrong PM, Anderson JF, Vossbrinck CR. Host feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes and West Nile virus transmission, northeastern United States.. Emerg Infect Dis 2006 Mar;12(3):468-74.
    pmc: PMC3291451pubmed: 16704786doi: 10.3201/eid1203.051004google scholar: lookup
  32. Molaei G, Oliver J, Andreadis TG, Armstrong PM, Howard JJ. Molecular identification of blood-meal sources in Culiseta melanura and Culiseta morsitans from an endemic focus of eastern equine encephalitis virus in New York.. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2006 Dec;75(6):1140-7.
    pubmed: 17172382
  33. Richards SL, Ponnusamy L, Unnasch TR, Hassan HK, Apperson CS. Host-feeding patterns of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in relation to availability of human and domestic animals in suburban landscapes of central North Carolina.. J Med Entomol 2006 May;43(3):543-51.
    pmc: PMC2577020pubmed: 16739414doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[543:hpoaad]2.0.co;2google scholar: lookup
  34. Ulloa A, Langevin SA, Mendez-Sanchez JD, Arredondo-Jimenez JI, Raetz JL, Powers AM, Villarreal-Treviño C, Gubler DJ, Komar N. Serologic survey of domestic animals for zoonotic arbovirus infections in the Lacandón Forest region of Chiapas, Mexico.. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2003 Spring;3(1):3-9.
    pubmed: 12804375doi: 10.1089/153036603765627406google scholar: lookup
  35. De Filette M, Ulbert S, Diamond M, Sanders NN. Recent progress in West Nile virus diagnosis and vaccination.. Vet Res 2012 Mar 1;43(1):16.
    pmc: PMC3311072pubmed: 22380523doi: 10.1186/1297-9716-43-16google scholar: lookup
  36. National Public Health Institute of Q. Monitoring infection by West Nile virus in Q – 2014 Season. .
  37. World Organisation for Animal Health. Manual of diagnostic tests and vaccines for terrestrial animals, 2015. .
  38. Loeb M, Elliott SJ, Gibson B, Fearon M, Nosal R, Drebot M, D'Cuhna C, Harrington D, Smith S, George P, Eyles J. Protective behavior and West Nile virus risk.. Emerg Infect Dis 2005 Sep;11(9):1433-6.
    pmc: PMC3310612pubmed: 16229774doi: 10.3201/eid1109.041184google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
  1. Buhler KJ, Dibernardo A, Pilfold NW, Harms NJ, Fenton H, Carriere S, Kelly A, Schwantje H, Aguilar XF, Leclerc LM, Gouin GG, Lunn NJ, Richardson ES, McGeachy D, Bouchard É, Ortiz AH, Samelius G, Lindsay LR, Drebot MA, Gaffney P, Leighton P, Alisauskas R, Jenkins E. Widespread Exposure to Mosquitoborne California Serogroup Viruses in Caribou, Arctic Fox, Red Fox, and Polar Bears, Canada.. Emerg Infect Dis 2023 Jan;29(1):54-63.
    doi: 10.3201/eid2901.220154pubmed: 36573538google scholar: lookup
  2. Duplaix L, Turgeon P, Lévesque B, Rocheleau JP, Leboeuf A, Picard I, Manguiat K, Wood H, Arsenault J. Seroprevalence and risk factors of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii among dog owners in southwestern Québec, Canada.. Epidemiol Infect 2021 Jun 28;149:1-45.
    doi: 10.1017/S0950268821001412pubmed: 34176524google scholar: lookup
  3. Levasseur A, Arsenault J, Paré J. Surveillance of West Nile virus in horses in Canada: A retrospective study of cases reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from 2003 to 2019.. Can Vet J 2021 May;62(5):469-476.
    pubmed: 33967285
  4. Rocheleau JP, Kotchi SO, Arsenault J. Can local risk of West Nile virus infection be predicted from previous cases? A descriptive study in Q, 2011-2016.. Can J Public Health 2020 Apr;111(2):229-238.
    doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00279-0pubmed: 32020540google scholar: lookup
  5. Barba M, Fairbanks EL, Daly JM. Equine viral encephalitis: prevalence, impact, and management strategies.. Vet Med (Auckl) 2019;10:99-110.
    doi: 10.2147/VMRR.S168227pubmed: 31497528google scholar: lookup
  6. Ludwig A, Zheng H, Vrbova L, Drebot MA, Iranpour M, Lindsay LR. Increased risk of endemic mosquito-borne diseases in Canada due to climate change.. Can Commun Dis Rep 2019 Apr 4;45(4):91-97.
    doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v45i04a03pubmed: 31285698google scholar: lookup
  7. Bowser NH, Anderson NE. Dogs (Canis familiaris) as Sentinels for Human Infectious Disease and Application to Canadian Populations: A Systematic Review.. Vet Sci 2018 Sep 21;5(4).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci5040083pubmed: 30248931google scholar: lookup
  8. Rocheleau JP, Michel P, Lindsay LR, Drebot M, Dibernardo A, Ogden NH, Fortin A, Arsenault J. Risk factors associated with seropositivity to California serogroup viruses in humans and pet dogs, Q, Canada.. Epidemiol Infect 2018 Jul;146(9):1167-1176.
    doi: 10.1017/S0950268818001000pubmed: 29716671google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,383 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.