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Klingelhöfer D, Braun M, Kramer IM, Reuss F, Müller R, Groneberg DA, Brüggmann D. A virus becomes a global concern: research activities on West-Nile virus. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2256424. [PMID: 37671854 PMCID: PMC10501173 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2256424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Currently, West-Nile virus (WNV) is spreading worldwide to colder regions due to climate change. Human mortality and morbidity are prevalent and steadily increasing, associated with costs to public health systems. Therefore, the question of the impact of scientific engagement arises. What trends, barriers, and incentives for research related to global burdens are important in this context? To answer these questions, this study provides detailed insights into the publication patterns of WNV research and interprets them using several parameters, such as absolute and relative publication indices and socioeconomic and epidemiological characteristics. It is shown that national interests combined with regional outbreaks significantly influence publication intensity. Thus, a correlation between national publication volume and the number of WNV cases was observed. In contrast to most life science topics, the scientific interest in WNV significantly decreased after 2006. The USA, as the main actor in WNV research, is at the centre of international networking. Recently, European countries are also getting involved according to their new-emerging outbreaks. The results demonstrate national interest in research activities with a lack of globally focused approaches that are urgently needed to better understand and assess the distribution and characteristics of WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Klingelhöfer
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Markus Braun
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Isabelle M. Kramer
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Unit Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Friederike Reuss
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ruth Müller
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Unit Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - David A. Groneberg
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Dörthe Brüggmann
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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Humphreys JM, Pelzel-McCluskey AM, Cohnstaedt LW, McGregor BL, Hanley KA, Hudson AR, Young KI, Peck D, Rodriguez LL, Peters DPC. Integrating Spatiotemporal Epidemiology, Eco-Phylogenetics, and Distributional Ecology to Assess West Nile Disease Risk in Horses. Viruses 2021; 13:v13091811. [PMID: 34578392 PMCID: PMC8473291 DOI: 10.3390/v13091811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne West Nile virus (WNV) is the causative agent of West Nile disease in humans, horses, and some bird species. Since the initial introduction of WNV to the United States (US), approximately 30,000 horses have been impacted by West Nile neurologic disease and hundreds of additional horses are infected each year. Research describing the drivers of West Nile disease in horses is greatly needed to better anticipate the spatial and temporal extent of disease risk, improve disease surveillance, and alleviate future economic impacts to the equine industry and private horse owners. To help meet this need, we integrated techniques from spatiotemporal epidemiology, eco-phylogenetics, and distributional ecology to assess West Nile disease risk in horses throughout the contiguous US. Our integrated approach considered horse abundance and virus exposure, vector and host distributions, and a variety of extrinsic climatic, socio-economic, and environmental risk factors. Birds are WNV reservoir hosts, and therefore we quantified avian host community dynamics across the continental US to show intra-annual variability in host phylogenetic structure and demonstrate host phylodiversity as a mechanism for virus amplification in time and virus dilution in space. We identified drought as a potential amplifier of virus transmission and demonstrated the importance of accounting for spatial non-stationarity when quantifying interaction between disease risk and meteorological influences such as temperature and precipitation. Our results delineated the timing and location of several areas at high risk of West Nile disease and can be used to prioritize vaccination programs and optimize virus surveillance and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M. Humphreys
- Pest Management Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Sidney, MT 59270, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Angela M. Pelzel-McCluskey
- Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), US Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;
| | - Lee W. Cohnstaedt
- Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA; (L.W.C.); (B.L.M.)
| | - Bethany L. McGregor
- Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA; (L.W.C.); (B.L.M.)
| | - Kathryn A. Hanley
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA; (K.A.H.); (K.I.Y.)
| | - Amy R. Hudson
- Big Data Initiative and SCINet Program for Scientific Computing, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20704, USA; (A.R.H.); (D.P.C.P.)
| | - Katherine I. Young
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA; (K.A.H.); (K.I.Y.)
| | - Dannele Peck
- Northern Plains Climate Hub, US Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;
| | - Luis L. Rodriguez
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, US Department of Agriculture, Orient Point, NY 11957, USA;
| | - Debra P. C. Peters
- Big Data Initiative and SCINet Program for Scientific Computing, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20704, USA; (A.R.H.); (D.P.C.P.)
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Reisen WK, Wheeler SS. Overwintering of West Nile Virus in the United States. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:1498-1507. [PMID: 31549726 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The establishment of a tropical virus such as West Nile (WNV; Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) within the temperate latitudes of the continental United States was unexpected and perhaps contingent, in part, upon the ability of this invasive virus to persist during winter when temperatures become too cold for replication and vector mosquito gonotrophic activity. Our Forum article reviews research examining possible overwintering mechanisms that include consistent reintroduction and local persistence in vector mosquitoes and avian hosts, mostly using examples from research conducted in California. We conclude that the transmission of WNV involves so many vectors and hosts within different landscapes that multiple overwintering pathways are possible and collectively may be necessary to allow this virus to overwinter consistently within the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- William K Reisen
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA
| | - Sarah S Wheeler
- Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, Elk Grove, CA
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Russell MC, Newton SR, McClure KM, Levine RS, Phelps LP, Lindstrom AB, Strynar MJ. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in two different populations of northern cardinals. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 222:295-304. [PMID: 30710759 PMCID: PMC6739830 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.01.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a good indicator species for environmental contaminants because it does not migrate and its range covers a diversity of habitats, including metropolitan Atlanta, GA and the geographically isolated Hawaiian Islands. In addition, the cardinal is often found near people's homes, making it likely to be exposed to the same outdoor elements, including soil, groundwater, and air, that surrounding humans experience. In this study, blood serum concentrations of 12 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were measured in 40 cardinals from Atlanta and 17 cardinals from the Big Island (Hawaii), HI. We observed significantly higher median concentrations of four PFASs and significantly higher detection frequencies of seven PFASs in the cardinals from Atlanta, relative to the PFAS median concentrations and detection frequencies observed in the cardinals from Hawaii (α = 0.05). Among the PFASs measured, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was observed in the highest concentrations. A linear regression model controlling for sex, age, and airport distance did not explain PFOS variation within the Atlanta samples, but a similar model explained 90% of PFOS variation within the Hawaii samples. To our knowledge, these are the first measurements of PFASs in northern cardinals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie C Russell
- Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Environmental Health Fellowship Program, Hosted by the Office of the Science Advisor, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Seth R Newton
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Katherine M McClure
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Rebecca S Levine
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lara P Phelps
- Office of the Science Advisor, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Andrew B Lindstrom
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Mark J Strynar
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
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Tran A, Sudre B, Paz S, Rossi M, Desbrosse A, Chevalier V, Semenza JC. Environmental predictors of West Nile fever risk in Europe. Int J Health Geogr 2014; 13:26. [PMID: 24986363 PMCID: PMC4118316 DOI: 10.1186/1476-072x-13-26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen of global public health importance. Transmission of WNV is determined by abiotic and biotic factors. The objective of this study was to examine environmental variables as predictors of WNV risk in Europe and neighboring countries, considering the anomalies of remotely sensed water and vegetation indices and of temperature at the locations of West Nile fever (WNF) outbreaks reported in humans between 2002 and 2013. Methods The status of infection by WNV in relationship to environmental and climatic risk factors was analyzed at the district level using logistic regression models. Temperature, remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) anomalies, as well as population, birds’ migratory routes, and presence of wetlands were considered as explanatory variables. Results The anomalies of temperature in July, of MNDWI in early June, the presence of wetlands, the location under migratory routes, and the occurrence of a WNF outbreak the previous year were identified as risk factors. The best statistical model according to the Akaike Information Criterion was used to map WNF risk areas in 2012 and 2013. Model validations showed a good level of prediction: area under Receiver Operator Characteristic curve = 0.854 (95% Confidence Interval 0.850-0.856) for internal validation and 0.819 (95% Confidence Interval 0.814-0.823) (2012) and 0.853 (95% Confidence Interval 0.850-0.855) (2013) for external validations, respectively. Conclusions WNF incidence is increasing in Europe and WNV is expanding into new areas where it had never been observed before. Our model can be used to direct surveillance activities and public health interventions for the upcoming WNF season.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jan C Semenza
- Head of Health Determinants Programme, Office of the Chief Scientist, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Office of the Chief Scientist, Stockholm, SE-171 83, Sweden.
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Vector contact rates on Eastern bluebird nestlings do not indicate West Nile virus transmission in Henrico County, Virginia, USA. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2013; 10:6366-79. [PMID: 24287858 PMCID: PMC3881119 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10126366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2013] [Revised: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive indicators of spatial and temporal variation in vector-host contact rates are critical to understanding the transmission and eventual prevention of arboviruses such as West Nile virus (WNV). Monitoring vector contact rates on particularly susceptible and perhaps more exposed avian nestlings may provide an advanced indication of local WNV amplification. To test this hypothesis we monitored WNV infection and vector contact rates among nestlings occupying nest boxes (primarily Eastern bluebirds; Sialia sialis, Turdidae) across Henrico County, Virginia, USA, from May to August 2012. Observed host-seeking rates were temporally variable and associated with absolute vector and host abundances. Despite substantial effort to monitor WNV among nestlings and mosquitoes, we did not detect the presence of WNV in these populations. Generally low vector-nestling host contact rates combined with the negative WNV infection data suggest that monitoring transmission parameters among nestling Eastern bluebirds in Henrico County, Virginia, USA may not be a sensitive indicator of WNV activity.
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Petrović T, Blazquez AB, Lupulović D, Lazić G, Escribano-Romero E, Fabijan D, Kapetanov M, Lazić S, Saiz J. Monitoring West Nile virus (WNV) infection in wild birds in Serbia during 2012: first isolation and characterisation of WNV strains from Serbia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 18. [PMID: 24176657 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es2013.18.44.20622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV), a neurovirulent mosquito-transmissible zoonotic virus, has caused recent outbreaks in Europe, including Serbia from August until October 2012. Although humans can be infected, birds are the main natural WNV reservoir. To assess WNV circulation in northern Serbia, 133 wild birds were investigated. These comprised resident and migratory birds, collected between January and September 2012 in the Vojvodina province. The birds belonged to 45 species within 27 families. Blood sera (n=92) and pooled tissues from respective birds (n=81) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT) and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). WNV antibodies were detected in seven (8%) sera: four from Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), two from White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicillas), and one from a Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). Five sera neutralised WNV but not Usutu virus. For the first time in Serbia, WNV RNA was detected by RT-qPCR in pooled tissue samples of eight respective birds. WNV RNA was also derived from an additional bird, after a serum sample resulted infective in cell culture. The total nine WNV RNA positive birds included three Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), two White-tailed Eagles, one Legged Gull (Larus michahelis), one Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix), one Bearded Parrot-bill (Panarus biramicus), and one Common Pheasant. Phylogenetic analysis of partial E region sequences showed the presence of, at least, two lineage 2 Serbian clusters closely related to those responsible for recent human and animal outbreaks in Greece, Hungary and Italy. Full genomic sequence from a goshawk isolate corroborated this data. These results confirm WNV circulation in Serbia and highlight the risk of infection for humans and horses, pointing to the need for implementing WNV surveillance programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Petrović
- Scientific Veterinary Institute Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia
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Martín-Acebes MA, Saiz JC. West Nile virus: A re-emerging pathogen revisited. World J Virol 2012; 1:51-70. [PMID: 24175211 PMCID: PMC3782267 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v1.i2.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2012] [Accepted: 03/05/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV), a flavivirus of the Flaviviridae family, is maintained in nature in an enzootic transmission cycle between avian hosts and ornithophilic mosquito vectors, although the virus occasionally infects other vertebrates. WNV causes sporadic disease outbreaks in horses and humans, which may result in febrile illness, meningitis, encephalitis and flaccid paralysis. Until recently, its medical and veterinary health concern was relatively low; however, the number, frequency and severity of outbreaks with neurological consequences in humans and horses have lately increased in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Since its introduction in the Americas, the virus spread across the continent with worrisome consequences in bird mortality and a considerable number of outbreaks among humans and horses, which have resulted in the largest epidemics of neuroinvasive WNV disease ever documented. Surprisingly, its incidence in human and animal health is very different in Central and South America, and the reasons for it are not yet understood. Even though great advances have been obtained lately regarding WNV infection, and although efficient equine vaccines are available, no specific treatments or vaccines for human use are on the market. This review updates the most recent investigations in different aspects of WNV life cycle: molecular virology, transmission dynamics, host range, clinical presentations, epidemiology, ecology, diagnosis, control, and prevention, and highlights some aspects that certainly require further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Martín-Acebes
- Miguel A Martín-Acebes, Juan-Carlos Saiz, Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Burkett-Cadena ND, Ligon RA, Liu M, Hassan HK, Hill GE, Eubanks MD, Unnasch TR. Vector-host interactions in avian nests: do mosquitoes prefer nestlings over adults? Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 83:395-9. [PMID: 20682889 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothesis that nestlings are a significant driver of arbovirus transmission and amplification is based upon findings that suggest nestlings are highly susceptible to being fed upon by vector mosquitoes and to viral infection and replication. Several previous studies have suggested that nestlings are preferentially fed upon relative to adults in the nest, and other studies have reported a preference for adults over nestlings. We directly tested the feeding preference of nestling and adult birds in a natural setting, introducing mosquitoes into nesting boxes containing eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis), collecting blood-fed mosquitoes, and matching the source of mosquito blood meals to individual birds using microsatellite markers. Neither nestlings nor adults were fed upon to an extent significantly greater than would be predicted based upon their relative abundance in the nests, although feeding upon mothers decreased as the age of the nestlings increased.
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