Objective—To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an experimental adjuvanted DNA-plasmid vaccine against West Nile virus (WNV) in red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Animals—19 permanently disabled but otherwise healthy red-tailed hawks of mixed ages and both sexes without detectable serum antibodies against WNV. Procedures—Hawks were injected IM with an experimental WNV DNA-plasmid vaccine in an aluminum-phosphate adjuvant (n = 14) or with the adjuvant only (control group; 5). All birds received 2 injections at a 3-week interval. Blood samples for serologic evaluation were collected before the first injection and 4 weeks after the second injection (day 0). At day 0, hawks were injected SC with live WNV. Pre- and postchallenge blood samples were collected at intervals for 14 days for assessment of viremia and antibody determination; oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were collected for assessment of viral shedding. Results—Vaccination was not associated with morbidity or deaths. Three of the vaccinated birds seroconverted after the second vaccine injection; all other birds seroconverted following the live virus injection. Vaccinated birds had significantly less severe viremia and shorter and less-intense shedding periods, compared with the control birds. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Use of the WNV DNA-plasmid vaccine in red-tailed hawks was safe, and vaccination attenuated but did not eliminate both the viremia and the intensity of postchallenge shedding following live virus exposure. Further research is warranted to conclusively determine the efficacy of this vaccine preparation for protection of red-tailed hawks and other avian species against WNV-induced disease.

Six tests for the detection of West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies in the serum of experimentally infected chickens were compared. The tests included the hemagglutination-inhibition test (HIT), immunoglobulin M (IgM)-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with WNV-infected mouse brain antigen, immunoglobulin G (IgG) indirect ELISA with tickborne encephalitis viral antigen, the microtitre virus neutralization test, the standard plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), and the microtitre PRNT (micro-PRNT). Thirty adult chickens, intravenously and intramuscularly inoculated with 107 plaque-forming units (PFU) of WNV strain Egypt 101, were bled and given a booster of 107 PFU at 7, 15, and 21 d postinoculation; the final blood collection was on day 28. Although the micro-PRNT is capable of detecting the highest antibody titres during both early and late infection, because of the technical complexity and time requirements of this test a combination of IgM and IgG ELISAs is recommended for serologic screening. Serum samples that give positive results in the ELISAs can then be tested by the micro-PRNT to determine the specificity of antibodies to WNV.

OBJECTIVE To compare antibody responses of horses naturally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) and those vaccinated against WNV, to identify whether vaccination interferes with the ability to diagnose WNV infection, and to determine the duration of antibody responses after vaccination. SAMPLE Sera from horses naturally infected with WNV (n = 10) and adult WNV-naïve horses before and after vaccination with a live canarypox virus–vectored vaccine (7) or a killed virus vaccine (8). PROCEDURES An established WNV IgM capture ELISA was used to measure IgM responses. Newly developed capture ELISAs were used to measure responses of 8 other WNV-specific immunoglobulin isotypes. A serum neutralization assay was used to determine anti-WNV antibody titers. RESULTS WNV-specific IgM responses were typically detected in the sera of WNV-infected horses but not in sera of horses vaccinated against WNV. Natural infection with and vaccination against WNV induced an immunoglobulin response that was primarily composed of IgG1. West Nile virus–specific IgG1 was detected in the sera of most horses 14 days after vaccination. Serum anti-WNV IgG1 and neutralizing antibody responses induced by the killed-virus vaccines were higher and lasted longer than did those induced by the live canarypox virus–vectored vaccine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE On the basis of these findings, we recommend that horses be vaccinated against WNV annually near the beginning of mosquito season, that both IgM and IgG1 responses against WNV be measured to distinguish between natural infection and vaccination, and that a WNV IgG1 ELISA be used to monitor anti-WNV antibodies titers in vaccinated horses.

Blood samples from 105 northern pintails (Anas acuta) captured on Hokkaido, Japan were tested for antibodies to avian influenza virus (AIV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and West Nile virus (WNV) to assess possible involvement of this species in the spread of economically important and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Antibodies to AIV were detected in 64 of 105 samples (61%). Of the 64 positives, 95% and 81% inhibited agglutination of two different H5 AIV antigens (H5N1 and H5N9), respectively. Antibodies to JEV and WNV were detected in five (5%) and none of the samples, respectively. Results provide evidence for prior exposure of migrating northern pintails to H5 AIV which could have implications for viral shedding and disease occurrence. Results also provide evidence for limited involvement of this species in the transmission and spread of flaviviruses during spring migration.

The objective of this study was to develop a model using equine data from geographically limited surveillance locations to predict risk categories for West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses in all geographic locations across the province of Saskatchewan. The province was divided geographically into low-, medium-, or high-risk categories for WNV, based on available serology information from 923 horses obtained through 4 studies of WNV infection in horse populations in Saskatchewan. Discriminant analysis was used to build models using the observed risk of WNV in horses and geographic division-specific environmental data as well as to predict the risk category for all areas, including those beyond the surveillance zones. High-risk areas were indicated by relatively lower rainfall, higher temperatures, and a lower percentage of area covered in trees, water, and wetland. These conditions were most often identified in the southwest corner of the province. Environmental conditions can be used to identify those areas that are at highest risk for WNV. Public health managers could use prediction maps, which are based on animal or human information and developed from annual early season meteorological information, to guide ongoing decisions about when and where to focus intervention strategies for WNV.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurovirulent mosquito-borne Flavivirus that is maintained in nature by a zoonotic transmission cycle between avian hosts and ornithophilic mosquito vectors, mostly from the Culex genus. Until the 1990s, WNV was considered to be an old-world arbovirus, but in 1999, WNV emerged in the United States (US) and spread rapidly, becoming a major threat to public health. WNV adapted to the transmission cycle involving American mosquitoes and birds and reached Central and South America in subsequent years. In 2003, the National West Nile Fever Surveillance System was created in Brazil based on serological screening of animals and sentinel vectors, as recommended by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 2008, serological evidence of WNV infection in Brazilian horses has been reported, and the circulation of WNV has been monitored through the regular serological screening of sentinel horses and reporting of encephalomyelitis cases. Horses are highly susceptible to WNV infection, and outbreaks of neurological disease among horses often precede human cases. In this regard, equine surveillance has been essential in providing early warning to public and animal health authorities in several countries, including Brazil. This demonstrates the need for animal and public health intervention programs to allocate resources to make veterinarians aware of the role they can play in the human surveillance processes by monitoring horses. This review discusses the importance of equine surveillance and the gap that veterinarians can fill on the front line in human surveillance, in Brazil and worldwide, in the context of “One Health”