Detection of West Nile virus lineage 1 sequences in blood donors, Punjab Province, Pakistan

Abstract

This study was performed to determine the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito specimens and human blood donors in Pakistan. Methods: A total of 4150 mosquito specimens were collected using CO 2 -baited traps from five selected districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The mosquitoes were taxonomically identified using standard morphological keys, resulting in 166 pools. In addition, 1070 serum samples were collected from human blood donors. RNA was extracted from mosquito and human samples and screened for WNV using a reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). Results: None of the mosquito pools tested positive for WNV, whereas three samples from asymptomatic humans tested positive. To determine the WNV strains, partial sequences were compared against a global representation of 23 WNV sequences. The study strains were determined to come from WNV lineage 1. Conclusions: This study is novel in reporting the circulation of lineage 1 WNV in Pakistan. Given its ability to transmit from human to human via blood transfusion, this highlights the urgent need for nationwide surveillance to assess the distribution and impact of WNV in Pakistan. Determining the source of human infection will require more extensive mosquito sampling.

High Transmission Potential of West Nile Virus Lineage 1 for Cx. pipiens s.l. of Iran

“…Vector competence assays should be combined with an active monitoring of WNV lineage 1 circulation in Iran [31,32]. We used a lineage 1 strain to assess vector competence of Cx.…”

“…mosquitoes have been found to be infected with WNV belonging to lineage 2 [18]. In addition, lineage 1 of WNV has been recently detected in blood donors of Pakistan (east of Iran) [31] and in mosquito pools, Aedes albopictus and Cx. pipiens s.l., in Turkey (northwest of Iran) [32].…”

“…Thus, for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the maintenance and transmission of WNV, the present study was designed to evaluate the vector competence of Cx. pipiens s.l., the principal vector of WNV [37], and one of the most prevalent species reported [38] for the highly invasive and recently reported WNV lineage 1 in the region [31,32], based on measuring the infection, dissemination, and transmission rates of Cx. pipiens s.l.…”

Investigation of Japanese encephalitis virus as a cause of acute encephalitis in southern Pakistan, April 2015–January 2018

“…While one DENV and two WNV infections were confirmed, a specific etiology for the other five patients with JEV IgM antibody could not be determined because of insufficient sample for further testing or because testing only revealed an unspecified flavivirus infection. Cross-reactive antibody to DENV and WNV, two flaviviruses known to cause endemic disease in Pakistan [10,18], was the biggest challenge to diagnosis.…”

Water Resources Helps i̇n the Expansi̇on of Mosqui̇toes Coloni̇es

“…There are some other important factors which play important role in the distribution and transmission of WNV such as bird trade, mosquito transportation by shipping, or airlines and movement of the peoples (Lopez et al, 2008). The presence of WNV was reported in Pakistan and its neighbor countries (Zohaib et al, 2019). Serological signs in humans and vector capability for west nile disease in Pakistan reported firstly in early 1982 (Akhter et al, 1982;Hayes et al, 1982).…”