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Home / Equine Research Bank / Epidemiol Infect / High prevalence of West Nile virus in equines from the two p...
Epidemiology and infection2014; 143(9); 1931-1935; doi: 10.1017/S0950268814002878

High prevalence of West Nile virus in equines from the two provinces of Pakistan.

Abstract: This study describes the first large-scale serosurvey on West Nile virus (WNV) conducted in the equine population in Pakistan. Sera were collected from 449 equids from two provinces of Pakistan during 2012-2013. Equine serum samples were screened using a commercial ELISA kit detecting antibodies against WNV and related flaviviruses. ELISA-positive samples were further investigated using virus-specific microneutralization tests (MNTs) to identify infections with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), WNV and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Anti-WNV antibodies were detected in 292 samples by ELISA (seroprevalence 65.0%) and WNV infections were confirmed in 249 animals by MNT. However, there was no animal found infected by JEV or TBEV. The detection of WNV-seropositive equines in Pakistan strongly suggests a widespread circulation of WNV in Pakistan.
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Publication Date: 2014-10-31 PubMed ID: 25358382PubMed Central: PMC9507256DOI: 10.1017/S0950268814002878Google 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 research article presents the first large serosurvey of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in horses in Pakistan, detecting a high prevalence of the virus.

Methodology

  • The research was conducted on equine serum samples collected from 449 horses from two provinces of Pakistan during the period of 2012-2013.
  • The samples were initially screened using a commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit that detects the presence of antibodies against WNV and related flaviviruses.
  • Those samples that tested positive on the ELISA screening were then subjected to virus-specific Microneutralization Tests (MNTs) to confirm an infection with either the West Nile Virus (WNV), the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), or the Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV).

Results

  • From the ELISA tests, 65.0% (292 samples) tested positive for antibodies associated with WNV or similar flaviviruses. This rate of prevalence is referred to as the seroprevalence.
  • The MNT confirmed the presence of the West Nile Virus (WNV) in 249 of the animals that had initially tested positive on the ELISA screening. The MNTs, however, found no infections with either the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) or the Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) in the tested samples.

Implications

  • The high rate of West Nile Virus infections, as confirmed by MNTs, strongly suggests a widespread circulation of the virus within the equine population in Pakistan. This has implications for both animal and human health, given that the virus is zoonotic and can be transmitted to humans.
  • The results obtained in this study serve as an important baseline for future studies on the prevalence and spread of the WNV in Pakistan, contributing valuable data to the global understanding of this virus.

Cite This Article

APA
Zohaib A, Saqib M, Beck C, Hussain MH, Lowenski S, Lecollinet S, Sial A, Asi MN, Mansoor MK, Saqalein M, Sajid MS, Ashfaq K, Muhammad G, Cao S. (2014). High prevalence of West Nile virus in equines from the two provinces of Pakistan. Epidemiol Infect, 143(9), 1931-1935. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268814002878

Publication

Epidemiology and infection
ISSN: 1469-4409
NlmUniqueID: 8703737
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 143
Issue: 9
Pages: 1931-1935

Researcher Affiliations

Zohaib, A
  • State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology,Laboratory of Animal Virology,College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan,Hubei,P.R. China.
Saqib, M
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Beck, C
  • European Union Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases,ANSES,Animal Health Laboratory,Maisons-Alfort,France.
Hussain, M H
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Lowenski, S
  • European Union Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases,ANSES,Animal Health Laboratory,Maisons-Alfort,France.
Lecollinet, S
  • European Union Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases,ANSES,Animal Health Laboratory,Maisons-Alfort,France.
Sial, A
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Asi, M N
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Mansoor, M K
  • Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Saqalein, M
  • Department of Microbiology,Faculty of Science & Technology,Government College University Faisalabad.
Sajid, M S
  • Department of Parasitology,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Ashfaq, K
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Muhammad, G
  • Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan.
Cao, S
  • State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology,Laboratory of Animal Virology,College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan,Hubei,P.R. China.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / isolation & purification
  • Encephalitis, Japanese / epidemiology
  • Encephalitis, Japanese / veterinary
  • Encephalitis, Japanese / virology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
  • Equidae
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / virology
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Pakistan / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Species Specificity
  • West Nile Fever / epidemiology
  • West Nile Fever / veterinary
  • West Nile Fever / virology
  • West Nile virus / isolation & purification

Conflict of Interest Statement

None.

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