Risk Factors for West Nile Virus Infection and Meningoencephalitis, Romania, 1996

Han, Lijin; Popovici, Florin; Alexander, James P.; Velea, Laurenţia; Tengelsen, Leslie; Cernescu, C; Gary, Howard E.; Ion-Nedelcu, N; Campbell, Grant L.; Tsai, Theodore F.

doi:10.1086/314566

Cited by 113 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Epidemiologic investigations identified only two significant risk factors for infection with WN virus during the epidemic: these were the presence of mosquitoes in the home, and among apartment dwellers, the presence of flooded basements. 27 The combination of abundant larval breeding sites in the rainwater sewer system and in basements of blockhouses and access to blood meals from wild and domestic birds at nearby single-family dwellings allowed the build-up and maintenance of very high Cx. p. pipiens populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomologic and avian investigations of an epidemic of West Nile fever in Romania in 1996, with serologic and molecular characterization of a virus isolate from mosquitoes.

Savage

Ceianu²,

Nicolescu³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

251

167

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Between July and October 1996, a West Nile (WN) fever epidemic occurred in the southern plain and Danube Valley of Romania and in the capital city of Bucharest, resulting in hundreds of neurologic cases and 17 fatalities. In early October 1996, entomologic and avian investigations of the epidemic were conducted in the city of Bucharest and nearby rural areas. Thirty (41%) of 73 domestic fowl sampled had neutralizing antibody to WN virus, including 5 of 13 ducks (38%), 1 of 1 goose, 19 of 52 chickens (37%), 1 of 1 peahen, and 4 of 6 turkeys (67%). Seroprevalence in domestic fowl (27%, or 7 of 26) from the urban Bucharest site was not significantly different (P ϭ 0.08, by Fisher's exact test) than rates at three rural sites (50%, or 23 of 46). Serum collected from one of 12 Passeriformes, an Erithacus rubecula, was positive for neutralizing antibody to WN virus. A total of 5,577 mosquitoes representing seven taxa were collected. Culex pipiens pipiens accounted for 96% of the mosquitoes collected. A single virus isolate, RO97-50, was obtained from a pool of 30 Cx. p. pipiens females aspirated from the walls and ceiling of a blockhouse located near the center of Bucharest, resulting in a minimum infection rate of 0.19 per 1,000. Antisera prepared against RO97-50 failed to distinguish among RO97-50, WN virus strain Eg101, and Kunjin (KUN) virus strain MRM16. A 2,323-basepair DNA fragment of the envelope (E) glycoprotein gene from RO97-50 and a Romanian WN virus strain obtained from a human cerebrospinal fluid sample, RO96-1030, were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses of 23 WN virus strains and one KUN virus strain using the amino acid and nucleotide sequences for a small portion of the E gene suggest the existence of two large lineages of viruses. Bootstrap analysis of the nucleotide alignment indicated strong support (95%) for a lineage composed of WN virus strains from northern Africa, including isolates from Egypt and Algeria, and west, central, and east Africa, all of the European isolates, those from France and Romania, an Israeli isolate, and an isolate of KUN virus from Australia. The nucleotide sequence of RO97-50 was identical to the sequence of a WN virus isolate obtained from Cx. neavei mosquitoes from Senegal and Cx.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomologic and avian investigations of an epidemic of West Nile fever in Romania in 1996, with serologic and molecular characterization of a virus isolate from mosquitoes.

Savage

Ceianu²,

Nicolescu³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

251

167

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In 1996, a major WNV epidemic occurred in Romania with a high rate of neurologic infections (28,29). These outbreaks illustrate the need for improved surveillance and risk assessment for unexpected introductions of infectious agents potentially brought in by imported animals or humans as international trade and travel increases.…”

Section: Mosquito-borne Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Variability and Change in the United States: Potential Impacts on Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases

Gubler¹,

Reiter²,

Ebi³

et al. 2001

Environmental Health Perspectives

334

196

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…However, the incidence of encephalitis increases with age. 26 Clinically, WN encephalitis is similar to other arboviral encephalitides, that is, a prodrome of fever and headache accompanied by mental status changes. 2,23 However, in only 15% of cases did cerebral dysfunction progress to coma, as was seen in our patient.…”

Section: West Nile Virus Encephalitis In Bmt P Reddy Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

West Nile virus encephalitis causing fatal CNS toxicity after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Reddy¹,

Davenport

Ratanatharathorn³

et al. 2003

Bone Marrow Transplant

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary:We describe here a patient who died of progressive CNS deterioration following allogeneic stem cell transplant with West Nile virus as the sole pathogen on the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue analysis. A 50-yearold male with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) underwent allogeneic PBSCT from his HLA identical sister. After engraftment, the patient developed fever with progressive and ultimately fatal neurological deterioration. Imaging studies of the brain including CT and MRI scans were remarkable for mild low attenuation lesions of the white matter. CSF analysis was negative for neoplastic cells, bacteria, AFB, CMV, HSV, fungal infections and leukemic relapse. However, serological analysis of both the serum and CSF was positive for West Nile virus-specific IgM antibodies. At autopsy, West Nile virus PCR and cultures were positive in the mid-brain tissue. Electron micrographs showed evidence of viral particles. Given the recent increase in the spread of West Nile virus infections and the increased susceptibility of BMT patients to infectious complications, West Nile virus encephalitis should be considered in patients undergoing transplantation.

show abstract

Risk Factors for West Nile Virus Infection and Meningoencephalitis, Romania, 1996

Cited by 113 publications

References 10 publications

Entomologic and avian investigations of an epidemic of West Nile fever in Romania in 1996, with serologic and molecular characterization of a virus isolate from mosquitoes.

Entomologic and avian investigations of an epidemic of West Nile fever in Romania in 1996, with serologic and molecular characterization of a virus isolate from mosquitoes.

Climate Variability and Change in the United States: Potential Impacts on Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases

West Nile virus encephalitis causing fatal CNS toxicity after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About