Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestation of West Nile Virus Infections of Equines in Hungary, 2007-2020.
Abstract: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen in Hungary, causing severe outbreaks in equines and humans since 2007. The aim of our study was to provide a comprehensive report on the clinical signs of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in horses in Hungary. Clinical details of 124 confirmed equine WNND cases were collected between 2007 and 2019. Data about the seasonal and geographical presentation, demographic data, clinical signs, treatment protocols, and disease progression were evaluated. Starting from an initial case originating from the area of possible virus introduction by migratory birds, the whole country became endemic with WNV over the subsequent 12 years. The transmission season did not expand significantly during the data collection period, but vaccination protocols should be always reviewed according to the recent observations. There was not any considerable relationship between the occurrence of WNND and age, breed, or gender. Ataxia was by far the most common neurologic sign related to the disease, but weakness, behavioral changes, and muscle fasciculation appeared frequently. Apart from recumbency combined with inappetence, no other clinical sign or treatment regime correlated with survival. The survival rate showed a moderate increase throughout the years, possibly due to the increased awareness of practitioners.
Publication Date: 2022-11-18 PubMed ID: 36423160PubMed Central: PMC9694158DOI: 10.3390/v14112551Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Ataxia
- Clinical Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Neurological Diseases
- Public Health
- Veterinary Medicine
- West Nile Virus
Summary
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The research presents a detailed study on the clinical manifestations of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in horses in Hungary, based on confirmed cases from 2007 to 2019. It analyses the impact of West Nile virus, trends in transmission, disease progression, veterinary practices, and survival rates.
Methodology and Data Collection
- The clinical details of 124 confirmed equine WNND cases were gathered over the course of 12 years. The data collected mainly include details regarding demographic data, clinical symptoms, treatment procedures, and disease progression.
- The study focused on various factors such as the seasonal and geographical distribution of the disease, origin, spread, and the overall rate of infection in Hungary.
Epidemiology and Spread of WNV
- The WNV appears to have become endemic in Hungary, spreading across the entire country over the evaluated period. The study suggests the initial case may be linked to the area where migratory birds might have introduced the virus.
- The transmission season did not lengthen significantly over the duration of the study, indicating that the infectious period remained relatively stable.
Clinical Manifestations of WNND in Horses
- The research found no significant correlation between the occurrence of WNND and the horse’s age, breed, or gender. This suggests that no particular demographic is more susceptible to the disease.
- The most common neurological symptom associated with WNND was ataxia, which is a lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements. Other frequent symptoms include weakness, behavioural changes, and muscle twitching.
- Only when symptoms of recumbency (the inability to stand) coupled with inappetence (lack/loss of appetite) were observed, these appeared to correlate with mortality. There were no other distinguishing clinical signs or treatment regimes that showed a significant relationship with survival rates.
Treatment Protocols and Survival Rates
- Although the study didn’t find notable effectiveness in specific treatment regimes correlating with survival, it did note a moderate increase in survival rates over the years, which is possibly due to increased awareness among practitioners.
- The research emphasizes the importance of regular review and potential revisions of vaccination protocols based on recent observations and findings to control and manage the impact of WNV on equine health.
Cite This Article
APA
Fehér OE, Fehérvári P, Tolnai CH, Forgách P, Malik P, Jerzsele Á, Wagenhoffer Z, Szenci O, Korbacska-Kutasi O.
(2022).
Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestation of West Nile Virus Infections of Equines in Hungary, 2007-2020.
Viruses, 14(11), 2551.
https://doi.org/10.3390/v14112551 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Laboratory Animal Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Biomathematics and Informatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- Centre for Translational Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary.
- University Equine Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Wien, Austria.
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hungária Krt. 23-25, 1143 Budapest, Hungary.
- National Food Chain Safety Office, Veterinary Diagnostic Directorate, Tábornok u. 2., 1143 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- Institute for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Laboratory Animal Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Obstetrics and Food Animal Medicine Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- Institute for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Laboratory Animal Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
- University Equine Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Wien, Austria.
MeSH Terms
- Humans
- Horses
- Animals
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- Hungary / epidemiology
- West Nile virus / genetics
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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