Emergence of West Nile virus lineage 2 in Europe: Characteristics of the first seven cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in horses in Austria

0519007 - ÚBO 2021 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
de Heus, P. - Kolodziejek, J. - Camp, J. V. - Dimmel, K. - Bago, Z. - Hubálek, Zdeněk - van den Hoven, R. - Cavalleri, J.-M. V. - Nowotny, N.
Emergence of West Nile virus lineage 2 in Europe: Characteristics of the first seven cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in horses in Austria.
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. Roč. 67, č. 3 (2020), s. 1189-1197. ISSN 1865-1674. E-ISSN 1865-1682
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : experimental-infection * encephalitis * diagnosis * outbreak * greece * fever * Austria * equid * flavivirus * horse * West Nile neuroinvasive disease * West Nile virus * zoonosis
OECD category: Veterinary science
Impact factor: 5.005, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Open access
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tbed.13452

We report details of the first seven equine cases of confirmed West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Austria. The cases presented during summer and autumn of 2016 (n = 2), 2017 (n = 3) and 2018 (n = 2). All horses showed gait abnormalities and 6 of 7 horses exhibited fasciculations and/or tremors, and we provide video recordings of these. Three horses also showed cranial nerve involvement. Following rapid improvement, three horses were discharged. Four horses were euthanized due to the severity of clinical signs and subjected to neuropathological examination. West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 nucleic acid was detected in 5 of 7 horses, and WNV-specific neutralizing antibodies in all 7 horses. In addition, serologic evidence of WNV infection was found in two out of fourteen in-contact horses. Horses may be considered a sentinel species for human WNV infections, integrating human and veterinary medicine and thus contributing to the one health concept.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0304007