[Surveillance of West Nile fever in horses in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2013].
Abstract: The West Nile virus (WNV) is an important mosquito-borne flavivirus occurring around the world. Occasionally found in Central Europe, the virus spread massively through whole Hungary between 2008 and 2009. The aim of our study was to determine the recent prevalence of the WNV infection in horses in the Czech Republic. Methods: Overall, 2349 serum samples, collected from healthy unvaccinated adult horses in the Czech Republic between 2011 and 2013, were tested. A commercially available competitive ELISA kit (cELISA) was used for this purpose and positive samples were confirmed by virus neutralisation tests using WNV and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Results: Altogether 271 of 2348 samples (11.5%) were positive by cELISA. Confirmatory VNT revealed 16 WNV positive samples, 11 of which had titres from 8 to 1024; VNTs with TBEV were negative. Three samples had antibodies against both viruses and the WNV antibody titres were less than or equal to the TBEV antibody titres. A cross reactivity of flaviviruses might have had an impact on the results, but in samples with similar WNV and TBEV titres, co-infection with both pathogens cannot be ruled out either. VNT antibody titres in two horses were inconclusive (cut-off titre 4). The place of birth and transfers (if any) were checked for each WNV seropositive horse. Five WNV positive/TBEV negative samples (0.2%) came from five administrative regions (South Bohemian, Karlovy Vary, Central Bohemian, South Moravian, and Moravian-Silesian) and the respective animals were never moved to a foreign country. Four of these horses never left the farm. Other six WNV positive/TBEV negative horses were imported to the Czech Republic from North America or Central and West Europe and therefore, it is not possible to tell unambiguously whether their infection is autochthonous or imported. Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm that WNV antibodies occur sporadically in horses in the Czech Republic. WNV was found to circulate in different parts of the Czech Republic and not only in the South of Moravia.
Publication Date: 2014-12-20 PubMed ID: 25523225
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study investigates the prevalence of the West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne illness, in horses in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2013.
Study Design and Methods
- The study aimed to determine the incidence of West Nile Virus in horses in the Czech Republic.
- It was based on the analysis of 2349 serum samples collected from healthy, adult horses that had not been vaccinated.
- A commercially available competitive ELISA kit (cELISA) was used to test these samples for the presence of the virus.
- Positive results were confirmed by undertaking virus neutralisation tests featuring the West Nile virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV).
Findings
- Out of the 2348 samples tested, 271 (11.5%) were found to be positive by cELISA.
- Confirmation via virus neutralisation test revealed that 16 samples were WNV positive.
- Interestingly, three samples contained antibodies against both WNV and TBEV, with WNV titres equal to or less than TBEV titres. This led the authors to consider the possibility of either viruses’ cross reactivity influencing the results or co-infection.
- Out of all WNV seropositive horses, the origins and history of movement were checked. The study found that five horses that tested WNV positive/TBEV negative came from five different regions within the Czech Republic and hadn’t been moved to other countries.
- Six horses that were WNV positive/TBEV negative had been imported from North America or Central and West Europe. Therefore, it was not possible to definitively determine whether their infection was autochthonous or imported.
Conclusions
- The study confirms the occasional presence of WNV antibodies in horses across the Czech Republic.
- It challenges the notion that the virus is only present in the southern Moravia region, showing that the circulation of the virus is widespread across the country.
Cite This Article
APA
Sedlák K, Zelená H, Křivda V, Šatrán P.
(2014).
[Surveillance of West Nile fever in horses in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2013].
Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol, 63(4), 307-311.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Antibodies, Viral / immunology
- Czech Republic / epidemiology
- Epidemiological Monitoring / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Male
- Neutralization Tests
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / immunology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- West Nile Fever / virology
- West Nile virus / genetics
- West Nile virus / isolation & purification
- West Nile virus / physiology
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