Seroconversion for West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses among sentinel horses in Colombia.
Abstract: We prospectively sampled flavivirus-naïve horses in northern Colombia to detect West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) seroconversion events, which would indicate the current circulation of these viruses. Overall, 331 (34.1%) of the 971 horses screened were positive for past infection with flaviviruses upon initial sampling in July 2006. During the 12-month study from July 2006-June 2007, 33 WNV seroconversions and 14 SLEV seroconversions were detected, most of which occurred in the department of Bolivar. The seroconversion rates of horses in Bolivar for the period of March-June 2007 reached 12.4% for WNV and 6.7% for SLEV. These results comprise the first serologic evidence of SLEV circulation in Colombia. None of the horses sampled developed symptoms of encephalitis within three years of initial sampling. Using seroconversions in sentinel horses, we demonstrated an active circulation of WNV and SLEV in northern Colombia, particularly in the department of Bolivar. The absence of WNV-attributed equine or human disease in Colombia and elsewhere in the Caribbean Basin remains a topic of debate and speculation.
Publication Date: 2012-01-14 PubMed ID: 22241119DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762011000800012Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article investigates the presence and incidence of West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses in horses in Colombia and presents the first proof of St. Louis encephalitis virus circulation in the country.
Research Overview
The study followed horses in northern Colombia for over a year, investigating for the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). These horses had never been exposed to flaviviruses before, and their seroconversion – the development of specific antibodies in response to an infection – would suggest the active circulation of these viruses in the region.
Initial Findings
- The research began in July 2006, with an initial screening of 971 horses for past infections with flaviviruses. This screening showed that a significant 34.1% (331 horses) had tested positive.
Seroconversion Detection
- Throughout the year-long study period from July 2006 to June 2007, the researchers detected 33 instances of West Nile Virus seroconversion and 14 cases of St. Louis Encephalitis virus seroconversion.
- Most of these seroconversion cases were observed in the department of Bolivar.
- For the period between March and June 2007, the seroconversion rates for horses in Bolivar were notably high: 12.4% for West Nile Virus and 6.7% for St. Louis Encephalitis Virus.
Implications of the Findings
- This study provided the first serological evidence of the St. Louis Encephalitis virus’ circulation in Colombia.
- Despite the presence and active circulation of these viruses, none of the horses sampled showed symptoms of encephalitis within three years from the initial sampling.
- The research casts light on an active circulation of both these viruses in northern Colombia, particularly in the department of Bolivar.
- How the West Nile Virus could thrive without causing disease in horses or humans in Colombia and other areas of the Caribbean Basin, however, is a subject that still requires further investigation.
Cite This Article
APA
Mattar S, Komar N, Young G, Alvarez J, Gonzalez M.
(2012).
Seroconversion for West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses among sentinel horses in Colombia.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 106(8), 976-979.
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0074-02762011000800012 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Colombia. mattarsalim@hotmail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Colombia / epidemiology
- Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis / immunology
- Encephalitis, St. Louis / diagnosis
- Encephalitis, St. Louis / epidemiology
- Encephalitis, St. Louis / veterinary
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses / immunology
- Horses / virology
- Population Surveillance / methods
- Prospective Studies
- West Nile Fever / diagnosis
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- West Nile virus / immunology
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Ramírez AL, van den Hurk AF, Meyer DB, Ritchie SA. Searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack: advances in mosquito-borne arbovirus surveillance. Parasit Vectors 2018 May 29;11(1):320.
- Hoyos-López R, Suaza-Vasco J, Rúa-Uribe G, Uribe S, Gallego-Gómez JC. Molecular detection of flaviviruses and alphaviruses in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from coastal ecosystems in the Colombian Caribbean. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2016 Oct;111(10):625-634.
- Jiménez D, Romero-Zuñiga JJ, Dolz G. Serosurveillance of infectious agents in equines of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Open Vet J 2014;4(2):107-12.
- Hoyos-López R, Soto SU, Rúa-Uribe G, Gallego-Gómez JC. Molecular identification of Saint Louis encephalitis virus genotype IV in Colombia. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2015 Sep;110(6):719-25.
- López RH, Soto SU, Gallego-Gómez JC. Evolutionary relationships of West Nile virus detected in mosquitoes from a migratory bird zone of Colombian Caribbean. Virol J 2015 May 20;12:80.
- Chancey C, Grinev A, Volkova E, Rios M. The global ecology and epidemiology of West Nile virus. Biomed Res Int 2015;2015:376230.
- Melandri V, Guimarães AÉ, Komar N, Nogueira ML, Mondini A, Fernandez-Sesma A, Alencar J, Bosch I. Serological detection of West Nile virus in horses and chicken from Pantanal, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2012 Dec;107(8):1073-5.
- Morales-Betoulle ME, Komar N, Panella NA, Alvarez D, López MR, Betoulle JL, Sosa SM, Müller ML, Kilpatrick AM, Lanciotti RS, Johnson BW, Powers AM, Cordón-Rosales C. West Nile virus ecology in a tropical ecosystem in Guatemala. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013 Jan;88(1):116-26.
- Hobson-Peters J. Approaches for the development of rapid serological assays for surveillance and diagnosis of infections caused by zoonotic flaviviruses of the Japanese encephalitis virus serocomplex. J Biomed Biotechnol 2012;2012:379738.
- Gómez-Palacio A, Junca H, Vivero-Gomez RJ, Suaza J, Moreno-Herrera CX, Cadavid-Restrepo G, Pieper DH, Uribe S. Metagenomic profiling of the insect-specific virome in non-urban mosquitoes (Culicidae: Culicinae) from Colombia's Northern inter-Andean valleys. PLoS One 2025;20(9):e0331552.
- Hamouche C, Pradel J, Pagès N, Chevalier V, Lecollinet S, Bastard J, Durand B. Reconstructing the silent circulation of West Nile Virus in a Caribbean island during 15 years using sentinel serological data. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2025 Jun;19(6):e0012895.
- Matta NE, Gaitán-Albarracín FA, Fuentes-Rodríguez GA, Rodríguez-Fandiño ÓA, Calixto-Botía IF, Correa-Higuera LJ. Survey of West Nile virus infection in wildlife species in the Orinoquia region of Colombia. Front Microbiol 2025;16:1548538.
- Zanella G, Beck C, Valle-Casuso JC, Anthony M, Cruz M, Vélez A, Vinueza RL, Gonzalez G. Undetection of vector-borne viruses in equids of Galapagos Islands. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1411624.
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