Detection of West Nile virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus in birds in Slovakia, using a universal primer set.

Košice – mechentel news – West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne neurotropic pathogen that presents a major public health concern. Information on WNV prevalence and circulation in Slovakia is insufficient. Oral and cloacal swabs and bird brain samples were tested for flavivirus RNA by RT-PCR using newly designed generic primers. The species designation was confirmed by sequencing. WNV was detected in swab and brain samples, whereas one brain sample was positive for tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The WNV sequences clustered with lineages 1 and 2. These results confirm the circulation of WNV in birds in Slovakia and emphasize the risk of infection of humans and horses.

Autors: Csank T, Bhide K, Bencúrová E, Dolinská S, Drzewnioková P, Major P, Korytár Ľ, Bocková E, Bhide M, Pistl J.Correspondence: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovakia. E-Mail: pistl@uvlf.sk. Study: Detection of West Nile virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus in birds in Slovakia, using a universal primer set. Source: Arch Virol. 2016 Mar 21. [Epub ahead of print] Web: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00705-016-2828-5.