West Nile virus in horses during the summer and autumn seasons of 2015 and 2016, Portugal.
Abstract: West Nile fever (WNF) is an emergent disease in Europe, under surveillance in the European Union. Following a 5-year period of apparent silence (autumn 2010 to summer 2015), West Nile virus (WNV) reemerged in the South of Portugal, in July 2015. Here we present data from the onset, geographic location within mainland Portugal, and outcome of clinical cases of WNV infection in horses in 2015 and 2016. During the transmission seasons of 2015 and 2016, twenty-seven horses, most symptomatic (n=20) were found positive to IgM, pr-E immunoglobulins and VNT, leading to the subsequent report to Animal Disease Notification System of the European Commission (ADNS) by the Portuguese National Authority for Animal Health. Outbreaks occurred in the middle summer (August) and early/mid autumn (October/November) of 2015 and 2016, in the southern regions of the country (Alentejo and Algarve). Compared with the previous WNV transmission seasons of 2004 and 2010, a higher number of cases were reported in 2015 and 2016. The results of our study contribute to increase information concerning the geographic areas affected and time period for WNV transmission risk in Portugal.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2017-11-11 PubMed ID: 29173592DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2017.11.008Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Animal Health
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Public Health
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- West Nile Virus
Summary
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The research article focuses on the re-emergence and geographical impact of West Nile Virus (WNV) infections in horses in Portugal during the summer and autumn seasons of 2015 and 2016, after a five-year quiet period.
Introduction and Background
- West Nile fever (WNF) is a rising disease in Europe that the European Union monitors. There was a break from the Autumn of 2010 to the Summer of 2015 when the disease was not active in Portugal.
- The disease saw a resurgence in July 2015 in Southern Portugal, leading to the study’s investigation into detailing the origins, geographical spread, and effects of WNV infection in horses in 2015 and 2016.
Findings and Data Analysis
- In the transmission seasons of 2015 and 2016, 27 horses, most of them symptomatic, tested positive for IgM, pr-E immunoglobulins, and VNT. This led to reports to the Animal Disease Notification System of the European Commission (ADNS) by the Portuguese National Authority for Animal Health.
- The disease broke out in August (mid-summer) and October/November (early/mid-autumn) of 2015 and 2016, primarily in the southern regions of the country – Alentejo and Algarve.
- Compared to the previous transmission seasons of 2004 and 2010, a higher number of cases were reported in 2015 and 2016, indicating a resurgence of the disease after the five-year quiet period.
Significance and Contribution
- This study adds valuable information about the geographic areas affected and the timing of WNV transmission risk in Portugal.
- It aids in managing and controlling WNV outbreaks in the future by contributing data on the patterns of the disease’s spread, notably during which seasons the transmission risk is highest and which regions are the most vulnerable.
Cite This Article
APA
Barros SC, Ramos F, Fagulha T, Duarte M, Henriques AM, Waap H, Luís T, Costa T, Amador R, Quintans S, Fevereiro M.
(2017).
West Nile virus in horses during the summer and autumn seasons of 2015 and 2016, Portugal.
Vet Microbiol, 212, 75-79.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2017.11.008 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal. Electronic address: silvia.santosbarros@iniav.pt.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
- Direção de Serviços de Alimentação e Veterinária da Região do Algarve, Braciais - Patacão, 8005-424 Faro, Portugal.
- Direção Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, Campo Grande 50, 1700-162 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Direção Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, Campo Grande 50, 1700-162 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
- Epidemiological Monitoring
- Female
- Geography
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Male
- Portugal / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- West Nile Fever / virology
- West Nile virus / immunology
- West Nile virus / isolation & purification
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Ganzenberg S, Sieg M, Ziegler U, Pfeffer M, Vahlenkamp TW, Hörügel U, Groschup MH, Lohmann KL. Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Equine West Nile Virus Infections in Eastern Germany, 2020. Viruses 2022 May 30;14(6).
- Lourenço J, Barros SC, Zé-Zé L, Damineli DSC, Giovanetti M, Osório HC, Amaro F, Henriques AM, Ramos F, Luís T, Duarte MD, Fagulha T, Alves MJ, Obolski U. West Nile virus transmission potential in Portugal. Commun Biol 2022 Jan 10;5(1):6.
- Selim A, Megahed A, Kandeel S, Alouffi A, Almutairi MM. West Nile virus seroprevalence and associated risk factors among horses in Egypt. Sci Rep 2021 Oct 22;11(1):20932.
- Humphreys JM, Pelzel-McCluskey AM, Cohnstaedt LW, McGregor BL, Hanley KA, Hudson AR, Young KI, Peck D, Rodriguez LL, Peters DPC. Integrating Spatiotemporal Epidemiology, Eco-Phylogenetics, and Distributional Ecology to Assess West Nile Disease Risk in Horses. Viruses 2021 Sep 12;13(9).
- Geffroy M, Pagès N, Chavernac D, Dereeper A, Aubert L, Herrmann-Storck C, Vega-Rúa A, Lecollinet S, Pradel J. Shifting From Sectoral to Integrated Surveillance by Changing Collaborative Practices: Application to West Nile Virus Surveillance in a Small Island State of the Caribbean. Front Public Health 2021;9:649190.
- Vilibic-Cavlek T, Savic V, Petrovic T, Toplak I, Barbic L, Petric D, Tabain I, Hrnjakovic-Cvjetkovic I, Bogdanic M, Klobucar A, Mrzljak A, Stevanovic V, Dinjar-Kujundzic P, Radmanic L, Monaco F, Listes E, Savini G. Emerging Trends in the Epidemiology of West Nile and Usutu Virus Infections in Southern Europe. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:437.
- Maroco D, Parreira R, Dos Santos FA, Lopes Â, Simões F, Orge L, Seabra SG, Fagulha T, Brazio E, Henriques AM, Duarte A, Duarte MD, Barros SC. Tracking the Pathways of West Nile Virus: Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Analysis of a 2024 Isolate from Portugal. Microorganisms 2025 Mar 4;13(3).
- Ben-Mostafa KK, Savini G, Di Gennaro A, Teodori L, Leone A, Monaco F, Alaoqib MMA, Rayes AA, Dayhum A, Eldaghayes I. Evidence of West Nile Virus Circulation in Horses and Dogs in Libya. Pathogens 2023 Dec 31;13(1).
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