TY - JOUR
T1 - Variation in virulence of West Nile virus strains for house sparrows (Passer Domesticus)
AU - Langevin, Stanley A.
AU - Brault, Aaron
AU - Panella, Nicholas A.
AU - Bowen, Richard A.
AU - Komar, Nicholas
PY - 2005/1/1
Y1 - 2005/1/1
N2 - The observation of avian mortality associated with West Nile virus (WNV) infection has become a hallmark epidemiologic feature in the recent emergence of this pathogen in Israel and North America. To determine if phenotypic differences exist among different WNV isolates, we exposed house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to low passage, lineage 1 WNV strains from North America (NY99), Kenya (KEN), and Australia (KUN; also known as Kunjin virus). House sparrows inoculated with the NY99 and KEN strains experienced similar mortality rates and viremia profiles. The KUN strain elicited significantly lower-titered viremia when compared with the other strains and induced no mortality. This study suggests that natural mortality in house sparrows due to Old World strains of WNV may be occurring where the KEN strain occurs.
AB - The observation of avian mortality associated with West Nile virus (WNV) infection has become a hallmark epidemiologic feature in the recent emergence of this pathogen in Israel and North America. To determine if phenotypic differences exist among different WNV isolates, we exposed house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to low passage, lineage 1 WNV strains from North America (NY99), Kenya (KEN), and Australia (KUN; also known as Kunjin virus). House sparrows inoculated with the NY99 and KEN strains experienced similar mortality rates and viremia profiles. The KUN strain elicited significantly lower-titered viremia when compared with the other strains and induced no mortality. This study suggests that natural mortality in house sparrows due to Old World strains of WNV may be occurring where the KEN strain occurs.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 15728874
AN - SCOPUS:17644373820
VL - 72
SP - 99
EP - 102
JO - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
SN - 0002-9637
IS - 1
ER -