Molecular and serological investigation of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in donkeys, horses and native geese in Turkey

Yildirim Y., Yilmaz V., Yazici K., Ozic C., ÖZKUL A.

REVUE DE MEDECINE VETERINAIRE, cilt.169, sa.4-6, ss.87-92, 2018 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 169 Sayı: 4-6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2018
  • Dergi Adı: REVUE DE MEDECINE VETERINAIRE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.87-92
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Donkey, Horse, Turkish native goose, West Nile virus, C-ELISA, RT-PCR, seroprevalence, LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAYS, RAPID DETECTION, FLAVIVIRUS, MOSQUITOS, BIRDS
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

West Nile virus (WNV), an arthropod-borne viral pathogen of global importance, is considered to be the most widespread flavivirus in the world. Here we present a serological and virological study on WNV in horses, donkeys and Turkish native geese in the North-eastern Anatolian province. Blood sera were collected randomly from 118 horses, 70 donkeys and 378 geese, and tested for antibodies against WNV using a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA). The overall results revealed that 0.8% (1/118) of the horses, 20% (14/70) of the donkeys and 1.1% (4/378) of the geese were WNV seropositive. To determine the presence of WNV nucleic acid, positive blood sera were tested by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. WNV nucleic acid was not found in horse and goose samples, while it was demonstrated in four donkey samples. The results suggest that the infection was spreading in private small-scale production units. This study is the first molecular and serological study to determine virus prevalence and seroprevalence of WNV infection in horses, donkeys and Turkish native geese in the North-eastern Anatolian province of Turkey. It is also the first to be conducted on Turkish native goose in Turkey.