Seroprevalence of Powassan Virus in New England Deer, 1979–2010

Nofchissey, Robert A.; Deardorff, Eleanor R.; Blevins, Tia M.; Anishchenko, Michael; Bosco‐Lauth, Angela M.; Berl, Erica; Lubelczyk, Charles B.; Mutebi, John-Paul; Brault, Aaron C.; Ebel, Gregory D.; Magnarelli, Louis A.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.12-0586

Cited by 42 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A POWV study in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) led to the conclusion that just as seroprevalence varies spatiotemporally, the risk of human exposure varies in space and time and, therefore, studies with long-term, systematic sampling in designated regions are needed. 36 Experimental infections in groundhogs, Virginia opossums, gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), striped skunks, snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), white-footed mice, and raccoons suggest low levels of POWV virulence in these hosts, evidenced by the lack of clinical signs and transient viremia of low titers. [37][38][39] Although data using currently available detection tools (e.g., RT-PCR) to detect POWV and DTV in wildlife are sparse, these findings, in conjunction with results of the present study, suggest a low likelihood of POWV detection in wild mammal tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Powassan Virus and Other Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Wildlife and Ticks in Ontario, Canada

Smith

Oesterle

Jardine

et al. 2018

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne zoonosis maintained in natural enzootic cycles between ixodid ticks and wild mammals. Reported human cases have increased in recent years; these infections can be fatal or lead to long-term neurologic sequelae. However, both the geographic distribution and the role of common, potential mammalian hosts in POWV transmission are poorly understood, creating challenges to public health surveillance. We looked for evidence of POWV infection among candidate wildlife host species and ticks collected from mammals and birds in southern Ontario. Tissues (including blood) and ticks from trapped wild mammals were collected in the summers of 2015 and 2016. Ticks removed from dogs in 2015-2016 and wildlife diagnostic cases from 2011 to 2013 were also included. Tissue and tick ( spp.) homogenates were tested for POWV by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, sera from wild mammals were tested for antibodies to POWV, West Nile virus (WNV), and heartland virus (HRTV) by plaque reduction neutralization test. All 724 tissue samples were negative for POWV by RT-PCR. One of 53 pools of (among 98 total tick pools) was RT-PCR positive for deer tick virus (POWV) lineage. Antibodies to POWV and WNV were detected in 0.4% of 265 and 6.1% of 264 samples, respectively, and all of 219 serum samples tested negative for anti-HRTV antibodies. These results reveal low POWV detection rates in southern Ontario, while highlighting the challenges and need for continued efforts into understanding POWV epidemiology and targeted surveillance strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Powassan Virus and Other Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Wildlife and Ticks in Ontario, Canada

Smith

Oesterle

Jardine

et al. 2018

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…So far, no longitudinal serological studies have been conducted to determine the dynamics of POWV seroprevalence in residents of areas of endemicity, and only limited data are available for animals. Notably, a recent seroepidemiological study that used sera collected in Connecticut from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) demonstrated a marked tem- poral variation in seroprevalence but overall an increasing trend of seropositivity for POWV, rising from Ͻ25% before 1996 to 80% to 91% between 2005 and 2009 (168).…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-Borne Flaviviruses, with a Focus on Powassan Virus

2018

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SUMMARYThe tick-borne pathogen Powassan virus is a rare cause of encephalitis in North America and the Russian Far East. The number of documented cases described since the discovery of Powassan virus in 1958 may be <150, although detection of cases has increased over the past decade. In the United States, the incidence of Powassan virus infections expanded from the estimated 1 case per year prior to 2005 to 10 cases per year during the subsequent decade. The increased detection rate may be associated with several factors, including enhanced surveillance, the availability of improved laboratory diagnostic methods, the expansion of the vector population, and, perhaps, altered human activities that lead to more exposure. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether Powassan virus is indeed an emerging threat or if enzootic cycles in nature remain more-or-less stable with periodic fluctuations of host and vector population sizes. Despite the low disease incidence, the approximately 10% to 15% case fatality rate of neuroinvasive Powassan virus infection and the temporary or prolonged sequelae in >50% of survivors make Powassan virus a medical concern requiring the attention of public health authorities and clinicians. The medical importance of Powassan virus justifies more research on developing specific and effective treatments and prevention and control measures.

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“…POWV infections in humans are relatively rare with only ~100 encephalitis cases reported in the United States since 2003 (19). However, there are concerns about the potential for increasing numbers of infections in humans, given the growing numbers of deer testing positive for POWV in the United States ( 20, 21 ), a phenomenon that may be due to an expanding tick population (22). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika virus–related neurotropic flaviviruses infect human placental explants and cause fetal demise in mice

et al. 2018

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Although Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnant women can cause placental damage, intrauterine growth restriction, microcephaly, and fetal demise, these disease manifestations only became apparent in the context of a large epidemic in the Americas. We hypothesized that ZIKV is not unique among arboviruses in its ability to cause congenital infection. To evaluate this, we tested the capacity of four emerging arboviruses (West Nile virus, WNV; Powassan virus, POWV; chikungunya virus, CHIKV; and Mayaro virus, MAYV) from related (flavivirus) and unrelated (alphavirus) genera to infect the placenta and fetus in immunocompetent, wild-type mice. Whereas all four viruses caused placental infection, only infection with the neurotropic flaviviruses (WNV and POWV) resulted in fetal demise. WNV and POWV also replicated efficiently in second-trimester human maternal (decidua) and fetal (chorionic villi and fetal membrane) explants whereas CHIKV and MAYV replicated less efficiently. In mice, RNA in situ hybridization and histopathological analysis revealed that WNV infected the placenta and fetal central nervous system, causing injury to the developing brain. In comparison, CHIKV and MAYV did not cause substantive placental or fetal damage despite evidence of vertical transmission. Based on the susceptibility of human maternal and fetal tissue explants and pathogenesis experiments in immunocompetent mice, other emerging neurotropic flaviviruses may share with ZIKV the capacity for transplacental transmission, and subsequent infection and injury to the developing fetus.

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Seroprevalence of Powassan Virus in New England Deer, 1979–2010

Cited by 42 publications

References 18 publications

Powassan Virus and Other Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Wildlife and Ticks in Ontario, Canada

Powassan Virus and Other Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Wildlife and Ticks in Ontario, Canada

Tick-Borne Flaviviruses, with a Focus on Powassan Virus

Zika virus–related neurotropic flaviviruses infect human placental explants and cause fetal demise in mice

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