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Lineage 2 west nile virus as cause of fatal neurologic disease in horses, South Africa.
- Source :
-
Emerging infectious diseases [Emerg Infect Dis] 2009 Jun; Vol. 15 (6), pp. 877-84. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- Serologic evidence suggests that West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed in horses in southern Africa. However, because few neurologic cases have been reported, endemic lineage 2 strains were postulated to be nonpathogenic in horses. Recent evidence suggests that highly neuroinvasive lineage 2 strains exist in humans and mice. To determine whether neurologic cases are being missed in South Africa, we tested 80 serum or brain specimens from horses with unexplained fever (n = 48) and/or neurologic signs (n = 32) for WNV. From March 2007 through June 2008, using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and immunoglobulin (Ig) M ELISA, we found WNV RNA or IgM in 7/32 horses with acute neurologic disease; 5 horses died or were euthanized. In 5/7 horses, no other pathogen was detected. DNA sequencing for all 5 RT-PCR-positive cases showed the virus belonged to lineage 2. WNV lineage 2 may cause neurologic disease in horses in South Africa.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Antibodies, Viral blood
Brain virology
Horse Diseases epidemiology
Horses
Immunoglobulin M blood
Phylogeny
RNA, Viral blood
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Sequence Analysis, DNA
South Africa epidemiology
West Nile Fever epidemiology
West Nile Fever mortality
West Nile Fever virology
West Nile virus genetics
West Nile virus immunology
Disease Outbreaks
Horse Diseases mortality
Horse Diseases virology
West Nile Fever veterinary
West Nile virus classification
West Nile virus pathogenicity
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1080-6059
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 19523285
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1506.081515