Abstract
Nestling birds are rarely sampled in the field for most arboviruses, yet they may be important in arbovirus amplification cycles. We sampled both nestling and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in western Nebraska for West Nile virus (WNV) or WNV-specific antibodies throughout the summer of 2008 and describe pathology in naturally infected nestlings. Across the summer, 4% of nestling house sparrows were WNV-positive; for the month of August alone, 12.3% were positive. Two WNV-positive nestlings exhibited encephalitis, splenomegaly, hepatic necrosis, nephrosis, and myocarditis. One nestling sparrow had large mural thrombi in the atria and ventricle and immunohistochemical staining of WNV antigen in multiple organs including the wall of the aorta and pulmonary artery; cardiac insufficiency thus may have been a cause of death. Adult house sparrows showed an overall seroprevalence of 13.8% that did not change significantly across the summer months. The WNV-positive nestlings and the majority of seropositive adults were detected within separate spatial clusters. Nestling birds, especially those reared late in the summer when WNV activity is typically greatest, may be important in virus amplification.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 937-944 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2010 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- Infectious Diseases
- Virology
Cite this
Prevalence and pathology of west nile virus in naturally infected house sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008. / O'Brien, Valerie A.; Meteyer, Carol U.; Reisen, William; Ip, Hon S.; Brown, Charles R.
In: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 82, No. 5, 01.05.2010, p. 937-944.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and pathology of west nile virus in naturally infected house sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008
AU - O'Brien, Valerie A.
AU - Meteyer, Carol U.
AU - Reisen, William
AU - Ip, Hon S.
AU - Brown, Charles R.
PY - 2010/5/1
Y1 - 2010/5/1
N2 - Nestling birds are rarely sampled in the field for most arboviruses, yet they may be important in arbovirus amplification cycles. We sampled both nestling and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in western Nebraska for West Nile virus (WNV) or WNV-specific antibodies throughout the summer of 2008 and describe pathology in naturally infected nestlings. Across the summer, 4% of nestling house sparrows were WNV-positive; for the month of August alone, 12.3% were positive. Two WNV-positive nestlings exhibited encephalitis, splenomegaly, hepatic necrosis, nephrosis, and myocarditis. One nestling sparrow had large mural thrombi in the atria and ventricle and immunohistochemical staining of WNV antigen in multiple organs including the wall of the aorta and pulmonary artery; cardiac insufficiency thus may have been a cause of death. Adult house sparrows showed an overall seroprevalence of 13.8% that did not change significantly across the summer months. The WNV-positive nestlings and the majority of seropositive adults were detected within separate spatial clusters. Nestling birds, especially those reared late in the summer when WNV activity is typically greatest, may be important in virus amplification.
AB - Nestling birds are rarely sampled in the field for most arboviruses, yet they may be important in arbovirus amplification cycles. We sampled both nestling and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in western Nebraska for West Nile virus (WNV) or WNV-specific antibodies throughout the summer of 2008 and describe pathology in naturally infected nestlings. Across the summer, 4% of nestling house sparrows were WNV-positive; for the month of August alone, 12.3% were positive. Two WNV-positive nestlings exhibited encephalitis, splenomegaly, hepatic necrosis, nephrosis, and myocarditis. One nestling sparrow had large mural thrombi in the atria and ventricle and immunohistochemical staining of WNV antigen in multiple organs including the wall of the aorta and pulmonary artery; cardiac insufficiency thus may have been a cause of death. Adult house sparrows showed an overall seroprevalence of 13.8% that did not change significantly across the summer months. The WNV-positive nestlings and the majority of seropositive adults were detected within separate spatial clusters. Nestling birds, especially those reared late in the summer when WNV activity is typically greatest, may be important in virus amplification.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77952729487&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0515
DO - 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0515
M3 - Article
C2 - 20439979
AN - SCOPUS:77952729487
VL - 82
SP - 937
EP - 944
JO - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
SN - 0002-9637
IS - 5
ER -