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Zoonoses and public health2009; 57(7-8); 476-486; doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01245.x

Re-emergence of West Nile virus in Italy.

Abstract: In August 2008, West Nile disease re-emerged in Italy. The infection is affecting the North Eastern regions and, as of November 2008, has caused 33 clinical cases and five fatalities in horses. Until now, no deaths have been reported in birds. Mosquitoes, blood, serum and tissue samples, from horses and birds, within and around the outbreak area, have been collected and tested by various methods both serologically and virologically. West Nile virus strains have been isolated from blood samples of one horse and one donkey and from pools of brain, kidneys, heart and spleen of a pigeon and three magpies. When compared to the strain isolated during the 1998 Tuscany outbreak, the 255 bp sequence of the genome region coding for the envelope (E) protein of the isolated WNV strains, exhibited a 98.8% and 100% similarity at nucleotide and amino-acid level respectively.
© 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2009-07-30 PubMed ID: 19638165DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01245.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research article discusses the re-emergence of the West Nile virus in Italy in 2008, primarily in the northeast region, and reveals that the virus has caused clinical infection and fatality in horses while sparing birds. Through testing, the researchers have identified strains of the virus in horses, a donkey, and various birds, and compared them to strains from a previous outbreak in 1998.

Re-emergence and Impact of West Nile virus

  • The research sheds light on the re-emergence of the West Nile virus in Italy in the year 2008. The infection was primarily concentrated in the North Eastern regions during this outbreak.
  • As of November 2008, the virus has caused 33 clinical cases and has been fatal for five horses. However, there were no reported bird deaths due to this virus during the time of the study.

Data Collection and Testing

  • Investigative samples in the form of mosquitoes, blood, serum, and tissues were collected from horses and birds within and around the outbreak area for this study.
  • These specimens were then tested variously, both serologically and virologically, to track the presence and extent of the virus.

Virus Strains and Comparisons

  • The researchers were able to isolate West Nile virus strains from the blood samples of a horse and a donkey, and from the brains, kidneys, hearts, and spleens of some birds, specifically a pigeon and three magpies.
  • These isolated virus strains were then sequenced and compared with the strain isolated during the 1998 Tuscany outbreak.
  • The comparison results reveal that the genetic sequence of the region coding for the envelope (E) protein exhibited a 98.8% similarity at the nucleotide level and 100% similarity at the amino-acid level when compared to the 1998 strain. This indicates a close match between the current and previous strains of the virus, providing valuable information for understanding the evolutionary biology and possibly guiding effective treatment strategies.

Cite This Article

APA
Monaco F, Lelli R, Teodori L, Pinoni C, Di Gennaro A, Polci A, Calistri P, Savini G. (2009). Re-emergence of West Nile virus in Italy. Zoonoses Public Health, 57(7-8), 476-486. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01245.x

Publication

Zoonoses and public health
ISSN: 1863-2378
NlmUniqueID: 101300786
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 57
Issue: 7-8
Pages: 476-486

Researcher Affiliations

Monaco, F
  • Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
Lelli, R
    Teodori, L
      Pinoni, C
        Di Gennaro, A
          Polci, A
            Calistri, P
              Savini, G

                MeSH Terms

                • Animals
                • Birds
                • Communicable Diseases, Emerging
                • Disease Outbreaks
                • Genome
                • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
                • Horse Diseases / virology
                • Horses
                • Humans
                • Italy / epidemiology
                • Phylogeny
                • Population Surveillance
                • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
                • Sequence Analysis, DNA
                • West Nile Fever / epidemiology
                • West Nile Fever / veterinary
                • West Nile Fever / virology
                • West Nile virus / classification
                • West Nile virus / genetics
                • West Nile virus / isolation & purification

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