FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Emerging infectious diseases2010; 16(8); 1251-1258; doi: 10.3201/eid1608.100483

West Nile virus range expansion into British Columbia.

Abstract: In 2009, an expansion of West Nile virus (WNV) into the Canadian province of British Columbia was detected. Two locally acquired cases of infection in humans and 3 cases of infection in horses were detected by ELISA and plaque-reduction neutralization tests. Ten positive mosquito pools were detected by reverse transcription PCR. Most WNV activity in British Columbia in 2009 occurred in the hot and dry southern Okanagan Valley. Virus establishment and amplification in this region was likely facilitated by above average nightly temperatures and a rapid accumulation of degree-days in late summer. Estimated exposure dates for humans and initial detection of WNV-positive mosquitoes occurred concurrently with a late summer increase in Culex tarsalis mosquitoes (which spread western equine encephalitis) in the southern Okanagan Valley. The conditions present during this range expansion suggest that temperature and Cx. tarsalis mosquito abundance may be limiting factors for WNV transmission in this portion of the Pacific Northwest.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2010-08-04 PubMed ID: 20678319PubMed Central: PMC3298306DOI: 10.3201/eid1608.100483Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 describes how the West Nile Virus (WNV) spread into the British Columbia province in Canada in 2009 due to favourable environmental conditions, putting both humans and horses at risk.

Introduction and Objective

The research was done following the detection of West Nile virus (WNV) into British Columbia, a province of Canada, in 2009. The objective of this research was to understand how and why the WNV managed to spread into this province.

Methodology

In the wake of the WNV discovery in British Columbia, a series of tests were conducted for confirmation. These included:

  • ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and plaque-reduction neutralization tests were conducted to confirm infection in two people and three horses.
  • Ten mosquito pools were studied using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to confirm the presence of the WNV.

Findings and Discussion

The research found that the WNV activity was majorly observed in the southern Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, areas characterized by hot and dry climates. The research suggests:

  • That the spread and multiplication of the WNV was facilitated by unusual high nightly temperature and accumulation of degree-days in the late summer.
  • The estimated exposure dates for the virus among humans and the initial detection of WNV in mosquitoes occurred simultaneously with a late summer upsurge of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes in the southern Okanagan Valley.
  • Culex tarsalis mosquitoes are known to spread the western equine encephalitis virus, implying a potential role in spreading the WNV.

Implications and Conclusion

The research underscores how temperature and mosquito abundance, specifically that of Cx. tarsalis, may play a pivotal role in confining the transmission of WNV. This finding is particularly insightful for regions sharing similar geographic conditions as that of the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Future efforts need to focus on controlling the population of Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes, particularly during late summer, as a potential approach towards preventing the spread of WNV.

Cite This Article

APA
Roth D, Henry B, Mak S, Fraser M, Taylor M, Li M, Cooper K, Furnell A, Wong Q, Morshed M. (2010). West Nile virus range expansion into British Columbia. Emerg Infect Dis, 16(8), 1251-1258. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1608.100483

Publication

Emerging infectious diseases
ISSN: 1080-6059
NlmUniqueID: 9508155
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 8
Pages: 1251-1258

Researcher Affiliations

Roth, David
  • British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. david.roth@bccdc.ca
Henry, Bonnie
    Mak, Sunny
      Fraser, Mieke
        Taylor, Marsha
          Li, Min
            Cooper, Ken
              Furnell, Allen
                Wong, Quantine
                  Morshed, Muhammad

                    MeSH Terms

                    • Animals
                    • British Columbia / epidemiology
                    • Climate
                    • Culex / virology
                    • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
                    • Horse Diseases / virology
                    • Horses
                    • Humans
                    • Insect Vectors / virology
                    • RNA, Viral / chemistry
                    • RNA, Viral / genetics
                    • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
                    • West Nile Fever / epidemiology
                    • West Nile Fever / transmission
                    • West Nile Fever / virology
                    • West Nile virus / genetics
                    • West Nile virus / isolation & purification

                    Grant Funding

                    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research

                    References

                    This article includes 36 references
                    1. Campbell GL, Marfin AA, Lanciotti RS, Gubler DJ. West Nile virus. Lancet Infect Dis 2002;2:519–29.
                      doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(02)00368-7pubmed: 12206968google scholar: lookup
                    2. Eisenberg JNS, Desai MA, Levy K, Bates SJ, Liang S, Naumoff K. Environmental determinants of infectious disease: a framework for tracking causal links and guiding public health research. Environ Health Perspect 2007;115:1216–23.
                      doi: 10.1289/ehp.9806pmc: PMC1940110pubmed: 17687450google scholar: lookup
                    3. Reisen WK, Fang Y, Martinez VM. Effects of temperature on the transmission of West Nile virus by Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae). J Med Entomol 2006;43:309–17.
                      doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2006)043[0309:EOTOTT]2.0.CO;2pubmed: 16619616google scholar: lookup
                    4. Soverow JE, Wellenius GA, Fisman DN, Mittleman MA. Infectious disease in a warming world: how weather influenced West Nile virus in the United States (2001–2005). Environ Health Perspect 2009;117:1049–52.
                      pmc: PMC2717128pubmed: 19654911
                    5. Landesman WJ, Allan BF, Langerhans RB, Knight TM, Chase JM. Inter-annual associations between precipitation and human incidence of West Nile virus in the United States. Vector-Borne Zoonot 2007;7:337–43.
                      doi: 10.1089/vbz.2006.0590pubmed: 17867908google scholar: lookup
                    6. Kilpatrick AM, Kramer LD, Campbell SR, Alleyne EO, Dobson AP, Daszak P. West Nile virus risk assessment and the bridge vector paradigm. Emerg Infect Dis 2005;11:425–9.
                      pmc: PMC3298247pubmed: 15757558
                    7. Public Health Agency of Canada. West Nile virus monitor [cited 2009 Dec 14]. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/index-eng.php
                    8. Government of Saskatchewan. West Nile virus: surveillance results [cited 2010 Mar 23]. http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/wnv-surveillance-results
                    9. Manitoba Health. West Nile virus: surveillance statistics [cited 2010 Mar 23]. http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv/stats.html
                    10. Government of Alberta. Health and wellness: West Nile virus—surveillance evidence in Alberta [cited 2010 Mar 23]. http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/WNv-evidence.html
                    11. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. West Nile virus activity in British Columbia: 2009. surveillance program results [cited 2009 March 1]. http://www.bccdc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/73AB78E6-6D61-454C-8113-512A99A59B1E/0/WNVSurveillanceresults2009v2.pdf
                    12. Farley AL. Atlas of British Columbia. Vancouver (Canada): University of British Columbia Press, 1979. p. 30.
                    13. Campbell RW, Branch B. The birds of British Columbia. Vancouver (Canada): University of British Columbia Press, 1990. p. 55.
                    14. Government of Canada. Canada’s national climate archive [cited 2009 Dec 14]. http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca
                    15. Eisler DL, McNabb A, Jorgensen DR, Isaac-Renton JL. Use of an internal positive control in a multiplex reverse transcription-PCR to detect West Nile virus RNA in mosquito pools. J Clin Microbiol 2004;42:841–3.
                      doi: 10.1128/JCM.42.2.841-843.2004pmc: PMC344474pubmed: 14766868google scholar: lookup
                    16. Lanciotti RS, Kerst AJ, Nasci RS, Godsey MS, Mitchell CJ, Savage HM. Rapid detection of West Nile virus from human clinical specimens, field-collected mosquitoes, and avian samples by a TaqMan reverse transcriptase-PCR assay. J Clin Microbiol 2000;38:4066–71.
                      pmc: PMC87542pubmed: 11060069
                    17. Stone WB, Okoniewski JC, Therrien JE, Kramer LD, Kauffman EB, Eidson M. VecTest as diagnostic and surveillance tool for West Nile virus in dead birds. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:2175–81.
                      pmc: PMC3323400pubmed: 15663856
                    18. Wilson LT, Barnett WW. Degree-days: an aid in crop and pest management. Calif Agric 1983;37:4–7.
                    19. Allen JC. A modified sine wave method for calculating degree-days. Environ Entomol 1976;5:388–96.
                    20. Pruess KP. Day-degree methods for pest management. Environ Entomol 1983;12:613–9.
                    21. Zou L, Miller SN, Schmidtmann ETA. GIS tool to estimate West Nile virus risk based on a degree-day model. Environ Monit Assess 2007;129:413–20.
                      doi: 10.1007/s10661-006-9373-8pubmed: 17106782google scholar: lookup
                    22. Washington State Department of Health. West Nile virus in Washington [cited 2009 May 12]. http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/zoo/wnv/Surveillance09.html
                    23. Conly JM, Johnston BL. Why the west in West Nile virus infections?. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2007;18:285–8.
                      pmc: PMC2533559pubmed: 18923727
                    24. Biggerstaff BJ. PooledInfRate: a Microsoft Excel add-in to compute prevalence estimates from pooled samples. Fort Collins (CO): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2006. [cited 2009 Dec 14].
                    25. Hudson P, Perkins S, Cattadori I. The emergence of wildlife disease and the application of ecology, In: Ostfeld R, Keesing F, Eviner, VT, editors. Infectious disease ecology: the effect of ecosystems on disease and of disease on ecosystems. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press, 2008. p. 347–67.
                    26. Gibbs SEJ, Wimberly MC, Madden M, Masour J, Yabsley MY, Stallknecht DE. Factors affecting the geographic distribution of West Nile virus in Georgia, USA: 2002–2004. Vector-Borne Zoonot. Dis. 2006;6:73–82.
                      pubmed: 16584329
                    27. Bailey SF, Eliason DA, Hoffmann BL. Flight and dispersal of the mosquito Culex tarsalis coquillett in the Sacramento Valley of California. Hilgardia 1965;37:73–113.
                    28. Rappole JH, Compton BW, Leimgruber P, Robertson J, King DI, Renner SC. Modeling movement of West Nile virus in the Western Hemisphere. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2006;6:128–39.
                      doi: 10.1089/vbz.2006.6.128pubmed: 16796510google scholar: lookup
                    29. Rappole JH, Derrickson SR, Hubalek Z. Migratory birds and West Nile virus. J Appl Microbiol 2003;94(Suppl):47S–58S.
                      doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2672.94.s1.6.xpubmed: 12675936google scholar: lookup
                    30. Shaman J, Day JF, Stieglitz M. Drought-induced amplification and epidemic transmission of West Nile virus in southern Florida. J Med Entomol 2005;42:134–41.
                      doi: 10.1603/0022-2585(2005)042[0134:DAAETO]2.0.CO;2pubmed: 15799522google scholar: lookup
                    31. Becker N. Influence of climate change on mosquito development and mosquito-borne diseases in Europe. Parasitol Res 2008;103:19–28.
                      doi: 10.1007/s00436-008-1210-2pubmed: 19030883google scholar: lookup
                    32. Reisen W, Brault AC. West Nile virus in North America: perspectives on epidemiology and intervention. Pest Manag Sci 2007;63:641–6.
                      doi: 10.1002/ps.1325pubmed: 17373672google scholar: lookup
                    33. Kent R, Juliusson L, Weissmann M, Evans S, Komar N. Seasonal blood-feeding behavior of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) in Weld County, Colorado, 2007. J Med Entomol 2009;46:380–90.
                      doi: 10.1603/033.046.0226pubmed: 19351092google scholar: lookup
                    34. Nasci RS, Savage HM, White DJ, Miller JR, Cropp BC, Godsey MS. West Nile virus in overwintering Culex mosquitoes, New York City, 2000. Emerg Infect Dis 2001;7:742–4.
                      doi: 10.3201/eid0704.010426pmc: PMC2631767pubmed: 11585542google scholar: lookup
                    35. National Weather Service. Climate Prediction Center. El Niño/southern oscillation (ENSO) diagnostic discussion [cited 2009 Dec 14]. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/index.shtml
                    36. McLean DM, Chernesky MA, Chernesky SJ, Goddard EJ, Ladyman SR, Peers RR. Arbovirus prevalence in the East Kootenay region, 1968. Can Med Assoc 1969;100:320–236.
                      pmc: PMC1945652pubmed: 5812941

                    Citations

                    This article has been cited 20 times.
                    1. Uehara T, Dong L, Duvall LB. Behavioral heterogeneity in host-seeking and post-feeding suppression among disease vector mosquitoes. bioRxiv 2025 Jun 24;.
                      doi: 10.1101/2025.06.18.660345pubmed: 40667366google scholar: lookup
                    2. Couper LI, Dodge TO, Hemker JA, Kim BY, Exposito-Alonso M, Brem RB, Mordecai EA, Bitter MC. Evolutionary adaptation under climate change: Aedes sp. demonstrates potential to adapt to warming. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2025 Jan 14;122(2):e2418199122.
                      doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418199122pubmed: 39772738google scholar: lookup
                    3. Couper LI, Dodge TO, Hemker JA, Kim BY, Exposito-Alonso M, Brem RB, Mordecai EA, Bitter MC. Evolutionary adaptation under climate change: Aedes sp. demonstrates potential to adapt to warming. bioRxiv 2024 Sep 6;.
                      doi: 10.1101/2024.08.23.609454pubmed: 39229052google scholar: lookup
                    4. Salem HHA, Mohammed SH, Eltaly RI, Elqady EM, El-Said E, Metwaly KH. Effectiveness and biochemical impact of ozone gas and silica nanoparticles on Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae). Sci Rep 2024 Aug 19;14(1):19182.
                      doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-67068-9pubmed: 39160160google scholar: lookup
                    5. Wang HR, Liu T, Gao X, Wang HB, Xiao JH. Impact of climate change on the global circulation of West Nile virus and adaptation responses: a scoping review. Infect Dis Poverty 2024 May 24;13(1):38.
                      doi: 10.1186/s40249-024-01207-2pubmed: 38790027google scholar: lookup
                    6. Moser SK, Barnard M, Frantz RM, Spencer JA, Rodarte KA, Crooker IK, Bartlow AW, Romero-Severson E, Manore CA. Scoping review of Culex mosquito life history trait heterogeneity in response to temperature. Parasit Vectors 2023 Jun 14;16(1):200.
                      doi: 10.1186/s13071-023-05792-3pubmed: 37316915google scholar: lookup
                    7. Peach DAH, Matthews BJ. The Invasive Mosquitoes of Canada: An Entomological, Medical, and Veterinary Review. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022 Aug 17;107(2):231-244.
                      doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0167pubmed: 35895394google scholar: lookup
                    8. Gorris ME, Bartlow AW, Temple SD, Romero-Alvarez D, Shutt DP, Fair JM, Kaufeld KA, Del Valle SY, Manore CA. Updated distribution maps of predominant Culex mosquitoes across the Americas. Parasit Vectors 2021 Oct 23;14(1):547.
                      doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-05051-3pubmed: 34688314google scholar: lookup
                    9. Ferraguti M, Martínez-de la Puente J, Figuerola J. Ecological Effects on the Dynamics of West Nile Virus and Avian Plasmodium: The Importance of Mosquito Communities and Landscape. Viruses 2021 Jun 23;13(7).
                      doi: 10.3390/v13071208pubmed: 34201673google scholar: lookup
                    10. Van Hemert C, Pearce JM, Handel CM. Wildlife health in a rapidly changing North: focus on avian disease. Front Ecol Environ 2014 Dec;12(10):548-556.
                      doi: 10.1890/130291pubmed: 32313510google scholar: lookup
                    11. Bartlow AW, Manore C, Xu C, Kaufeld KA, Del Valle S, Ziemann A, Fairchild G, Fair JM. Forecasting Zoonotic Infectious Disease Response to Climate Change: Mosquito Vectors and a Changing Environment. Vet Sci 2019 May 6;6(2).
                      doi: 10.3390/vetsci6020040pubmed: 31064099google scholar: lookup
                    12. Savage J, Borkent A, Brodo F, Cumming JM, Gregory Curler, Currie DC, deWaard JR, Gibson JF, Hauser M, Laplante L, Lonsdale O, Marshall SA, O'Hara JE, Sinclair BJ, Skevington JH. Diptera of Canada. Zookeys 2019;(819):397-450.
                      doi: 10.3897/zookeys.819.27625pubmed: 30713456google scholar: lookup
                    13. Giordano BV, Turner KW, Hunter FF. Geospatial Analysis and Seasonal Distribution of West Nile Virus Vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) in Southern Ontario, Canada. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Mar 28;15(4).
                      doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040614pubmed: 29597256google scholar: lookup
                    14. Samy AM, Elaagip AH, Kenawy MA, Ayres CF, Peterson AT, Soliman DE. Climate Change Influences on the Global Potential Distribution of the Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, Vector of West Nile Virus and Lymphatic Filariasis. PLoS One 2016;11(10):e0163863.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163863pubmed: 27695107google scholar: lookup
                    15. Kulkarni MA, Berrang-Ford L, Buck PA, Drebot MA, Lindsay LR, Ogden NH. Major emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada. Emerg Microbes Infect 2015 Jun 10;4(6):e33.
                      doi: 10.1038/emi.2015.33pubmed: 26954882google scholar: lookup
                    16. Teterina NL, Maximova OA, Kenney H, Liu G, Pletnev AG. MicroRNA-based control of tick-borne flavivirus neuropathogenesis: Challenges and perspectives. Antiviral Res 2016 Mar;127:57-67.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2016.01.003pubmed: 26794396google scholar: lookup
                    17. Chancey C, Grinev A, Volkova E, Rios M. The global ecology and epidemiology of West Nile virus. Biomed Res Int 2015;2015:376230.
                      doi: 10.1155/2015/376230pubmed: 25866777google scholar: lookup
                    18. Morin CW, Comrie AC. Regional and seasonal response of a West Nile virus vector to climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013 Sep 24;110(39):15620-5.
                      doi: 10.1073/pnas.1307135110pubmed: 24019459google scholar: lookup
                    19. Komar N, Panella NA, Young GR, Brault AC, Levy CE. Avian hosts of West Nile virus in Arizona. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013 Sep;89(3):474-81.
                      doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0061pubmed: 23857022google scholar: lookup
                    20. Sonnleitner ST, Simeoni J, Schmutzhard E, Niedrig M, Ploner F, Schennach H, Dierich MP, Walder G. Absence of indigenous specific West Nile virus antibodies in Tyrolean blood donors. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2012 Jan;31(1):77-81.
                      doi: 10.1007/s10096-011-1279-xpubmed: 21556676google scholar: lookup
                    Subscribe to our newsletter
                    Join 99,727 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.