To ascertain the presence of West Nile virus (WNV), we sampled mosquitoes in 2006 in locations in southern Spain where humans had been infected. WNV genomic RNA was detected in 1 pool from unfed female Culex pipiens mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this sequence cannot be assigned to previously described lineages of WNV.
A serosurvey for neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus (WNV) in common coots (Fulica atra) was conducted in Doñana, Spain. Antibody prevalence was highest in 2003, intermediate in 2004, and lowest in 2005. Some birds seroreverted <1 year after first capture. Seroconversion of birds suggests local circulation of the virus.
Letters may be shortened for publication pestiviruses obtained from clinical material in England and Wales as recently as 1996/97 (Vilcek and others 1999). The latter finding indicated that cattle were less permissive than sheep when it comes to susceptibility to ruminant pestiviruses, and thus the conclusion that BDV seemed to be confined to sheep. The diagnosis of congenital persistent infection in at least one of the described cases shows that BDV can cross the bovine placenta. As regards the origin of the bovine BDV infections we describe here, possible contact between sheep and the dams of these cases over the susceptible period of pregnancy was noted on only one premises; on another of the farms there was no sheep contact and in the third case no such information was available. It remains to be seen whether BDV could have produced a persistent infection in cattle for more than one generation without direct contact with sheep.The finding of natural infection of BDV in cattle has important implications for BVD control programmes, since many modern diagnostic tests may be too specific to also detect BDV. This applies to both antigen ELISAs, especially glycoprotein-detecting ones based on BVDV monoclonal antibodies, and in particular RT-PCRs, which by their nature are much more specific than antigen/antibodybased assays. Unless diagnostic assays based on these two detection principles have been proven to also detect BDV, a new and minor but not insignificant risk of underdiagnosis of pestivirus viraemia in cattle has been identified. Furthermore, it is unknown to what extent natural immunity to any of the BVD viruses currently circulating within the UK will provide cross-protection of cattle against BDV. Similarly, the efficacy of the BVD vaccines currently sold in the UK against BDV is also unknown.More detailed information on the epidemiology, clinical details and virology of these cases will follow. The VLA will continue to identify pestiviruses isolated from farm animals as part of its obligation to provide surveillance information to DEFRA.
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