Prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to West Nile virus in Eleonora's Falcons in the Canary Islands

Birds are the major amplifying host for West Nile virus (WNV), a flavivirus that may affect humans and transmitted by bloodsucking vectors. Eleonora's Falcons (Falco eleonorae) migrate to the Canary Islands annually from WNV-endemic regions. To investigate the possible role of Eleonora's F...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gangoso, Laura, Grande, Juan Manuel, Llorente, Francisco, Jiménez-Clavero, Miguel Ángel, Pérez, Jesús M., Figuerola, Jordi
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/60005
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/60005
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Neutralizing antibodies
West Nile Virus
Canary Islands
Eleonora’s Falcon
Louse flies
Descripción
Sumario:Birds are the major amplifying host for West Nile virus (WNV), a flavivirus that may affect humans and transmitted by bloodsucking vectors. Eleonora's Falcons (Falco eleonorae) migrate to the Canary Islands annually from WNV-endemic regions. To investigate the possible role of Eleonora's Falcons in the circulation of WNV, we measured WNVspecifie antibodies in 81 falcons captured in 2006. None of the nestlings but 14.8% of the adults had WNV-neutralizing antibodies. RTPCR did not detect flaviviruses in nonculicine ectoparasites (n=231) of the falcons. These findings suggest that WNV infection did not occur locally, but rather on the wintering grounds or during migration. © Wildlife Disease Association 2010.