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West Nile Virus in the British Virgin Islands

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Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) first emerged in the US in 1999 and has since spread across the Americas. Here, we report the continued expansion of WNV to the British Virgin Islands following its emergence in a flock of free-roaming flamingos. Histologic review of a single chick revealed lesions consistent with WNV infection, subsequently confirmed with PCR, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Full genome analysis revealed 99% sequence homology to strains circulating in the US over the past decade. This study highlights the need for rapid necropsy of wild bird carcasses to fully understand the impact of WNV on wild populations.

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Acknowledgments

Benefitted from intellectual developments (or contributions) from the PREDICT project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats Program. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, USA

    S. J. Anthony, I. Navarrete-Macias, M. D. Sanchez-Leon, T. Briese & W. I. Lipkin

  2. EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street, New York, NY, USA

    S. J. Anthony & P. Daszak

  3. Northwest ZooPath, 654 Main, Monroe, WA, 98272, USA

    M. M. Garner

  4. Canines, Cats and Critters, 6513 Susannaberg, St. John, VI, 00830, USA

    L. Palminteri

Authors
  1. S. J. Anthony
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  2. M. M. Garner
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  3. L. Palminteri
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  4. I. Navarrete-Macias
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  5. M. D. Sanchez-Leon
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  6. T. Briese
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  7. P. Daszak
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  8. W. I. Lipkin
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Correspondence to S. J. Anthony.

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Anthony, S.J., Garner, M.M., Palminteri, L. et al. West Nile Virus in the British Virgin Islands. EcoHealth 11, 255–257 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-0910-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-0910-6

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