TY - JOUR
T1 - Screening for West Nile virus infections of susceptible animal species in Austria
AU - Weissenböck, H.
AU - Hubálek, Z.
AU - Halouzka, J.
AU - Pichlmair, A.
AU - Maderner, A.
AU - Fragner, K.
AU - Kolodziejek, J.
AU - Loupal, G.
AU - Kölbl, S.
AU - Nowotny, N.
PY - 2003/10
Y1 - 2003/10
N2 - Avian mortality and encephalomyelitis in equines are considered good indicators for West Nile virus (WNV) activity. We retrospectively tested 385 horse sera for WNV antibodies and looked for WNV nucleic acid and/or WNV antigen in paraffin embedded tissues from 12 horses with aetiologically unresolved encephalomyelitis and 102 free-living birds of different species which had been found dead. With the exception of four horses originating from eastern European countries investigated on the occasion of transit through Austria, all horse sera were negative. Nested RT-PCR of the horse tissues yielded no amplification of WNV-RNA. Also, all bird samples, examined by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and nested RT-PCR were negative for WNV. These results indicate that currently WNV cannot be considered a significant pathogen in Austria.
AB - Avian mortality and encephalomyelitis in equines are considered good indicators for West Nile virus (WNV) activity. We retrospectively tested 385 horse sera for WNV antibodies and looked for WNV nucleic acid and/or WNV antigen in paraffin embedded tissues from 12 horses with aetiologically unresolved encephalomyelitis and 102 free-living birds of different species which had been found dead. With the exception of four horses originating from eastern European countries investigated on the occasion of transit through Austria, all horse sera were negative. Nested RT-PCR of the horse tissues yielded no amplification of WNV-RNA. Also, all bird samples, examined by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and nested RT-PCR were negative for WNV. These results indicate that currently WNV cannot be considered a significant pathogen in Austria.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0142211147&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0142211147&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0950268803001031
DO - 10.1017/S0950268803001031
M3 - Article
C2 - 14596545
AN - SCOPUS:0142211147
SN - 0950-2688
VL - 131
SP - 1023
EP - 1027
JO - Epidemiology and Infection
JF - Epidemiology and Infection
IS - 2
ER -