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Acta tropica2020; 205; 105414; doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105414

Evidence of circulation of West Nile virus in Culex pipiens mosquitoes and horses in Morocco.

Abstract: West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most widely distributed mosquito-borne viruses in the world. In North Africa, it causes human cases of meningoencephalitis with fatalities in Algeria and in Tunisia, whereas only horses were affected in Morocco. The aims of this study were to detect WNV in mosquitoes and to determine seroprevalence of WNV in Moroccan horses by the detection of IgG antibodies. A total of 1455 mosquitoes belonging to four different species were grouped by collection site, date, and sex with 10 specimens per pool and tested for 38 arboviruses using a high-throughput chip based on the BioMark Dynamic array system. Out of 146 mosquito pools tested, one pool was positive for WNV. This positive pool was confirmed by real time RT-PCR. The serosurvey showed that 33.7% (31/92) of horses were positive for competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) test. The flavivirus-sphere microsphere immnoassay (MIA) test, targeting three flaviviruses (WNV, Usutu virus (USUV) and Tick borne encephalitic virus (TBEV)) showed that 23 sera out of 31 were positive for WNV, two for USUV, two for USUV or WNV, and four for an undetermined flavivirus. Virus neutralization tests with USUV and WNV showed that 28 of 31 sera were positive for WNV and all sera were negative for USUV. This study reports, for the first time, the detection of WNV from Culex pipiens mosquitoes in Morocco and its circulation among horses. This highlights that the detection of arboviruses in mosquitoes could serve as an early warning signal of a viral activity to prevent future outbreaks in animals and humans.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-20 PubMed ID: 32088277DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105414Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

The study confirmed that West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease causing fatal meningoencephalitis, is present and circulating in Culex pipiens mosquitoes and horses in Morocco. This is significant as it suggests that detecting arboviruses in mosquitoes can act as an early warning system for preventing outbreaks in animals and humans.

Objective and Methodology

  • The researchers aimed to determine the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquitoes and horses in Morocco. The approach was twofold: first, by detecting the virus in mosquitoes collected from various locations; second, by identifying the presence of IgG antibodies, triggered by the virus, in horses.
  • The team collected a total of 1455 mosquitoes of four different species for testing.
  • These were grouped based on collection site, date, and sex into 146 pools, each containing 10 specimens.
  • The researchers screened these groups for 38 arboviruses using a high-throughput screening method based on the BioMark Dynamic Array System.
  • A serological survey was also conducted on 92 horses using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) test.

Results and Implications

  • The tests revealed that one mosquito pool was positive for the West Nile virus.
  • The serological survey showed that 33.7% (31/92) of the horses tested were positive for West Nile virus, based on the cELISA test.
  • Further verification tests were done using the flavivirus-sphere microsphere immunoassay, which showed that 28 out of the 31 WNV-positive horses were indeed carrying the virus. Two showed positive results for another variant, the Usutu virus.
  • The study is significant as it not only confirms that the West Nile virus is present and active in Morocco, but also underscores the value of using mosquitoes as early indicators of viral activity.
  • Early detection in mosquitoes can help prevent outbreaks by encouraging timely intervention and management strategies for both human and animal populations.

Cite This Article

APA
Assaid N, Mousson L, Moutailler S, Arich S, Akarid K, Monier M, Beck C, Lecollinet S, Failloux AB, Sarih M. (2020). Evidence of circulation of West Nile virus in Culex pipiens mosquitoes and horses in Morocco. Acta Trop, 205, 105414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105414

Publication

Acta tropica
ISSN: 1873-6254
NlmUniqueID: 0370374
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 205
Pages: 105414

Researcher Affiliations

Assaid, Najlaa
  • Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Place Louis Pasteur, Casablanca 20360, Morocco; Molecular Genetics and Immunophysiopathology Research Team, Health and Environment Laboratory, Aïn Chock Faculty of Sciences, University of Hassan II Casablanca (UH2C), Casablanca, Morocco. Electronic address: najlaa.essaid@gmail.com.
Mousson, Laurence
  • Institut Pasteur, Department of Virology, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Paris 75724, France. Electronic address: laurence.mousson@pasteur.fr.
Moutailler, Sara
  • UMR BIPAR, Animal Health Laboratory, INRAE, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address: sara.moutailler@anses.fr.
Arich, Soukaina
  • Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Place Louis Pasteur, Casablanca 20360, Morocco. Electronic address: arichsoukaina@gmail.com.
Akarid, Khadija
  • Molecular Genetics and Immunophysiopathology Research Team, Health and Environment Laboratory, Aïn Chock Faculty of Sciences, University of Hassan II Casablanca (UH2C), Casablanca, Morocco. Electronic address: kakarid@yahoo.fr.
Monier, Maëlle
  • UMR1161 Virologie, INRAE, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address: maelle.monier@anses.fr.
Beck, Cécile
  • UMR1161 Virologie, INRAE, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address: cecile.beck@anses.fr.
Lecollinet, Sylvie
  • UMR1161 Virologie, INRAE, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address: sylvie.lecollinet@anses.fr.
Failloux, Anna-Bella
  • Institut Pasteur, Department of Virology, Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, Paris 75724, France. Electronic address: anna-bella.failloux@pasteur.fr.
Sarih, M'hammed
  • Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Place Louis Pasteur, Casablanca 20360, Morocco. Electronic address: mhammed.sarih@pasteur.ma.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Culex / virology
  • Culicidae / virology
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Horses / virology
  • Humans
  • Morocco / epidemiology
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • West Nile Fever / epidemiology
  • West Nile Fever / veterinary
  • West Nile Fever / virology
  • West Nile virus / isolation & purification

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Citations

This article has been cited 17 times.
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