West Nile Virus
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This article is still under construction. |
Hosts
- Horses and Man
- Reservoir host: birds, mosquitoes
Pathogenesis
- Virus oscillates between definitive and reservoir populations
- Aseptic encephalitis with concurrent fatalities
Epidemiology
- Virus originated in Africa
- Two versions seem to exist:
- Old world avirulent strain
- New world virulent mutant
- Entrance to US via mosquitoes was followed by a rapid sweeping spread across the country with deaths of horses and birds
- UK birds show antibody but no reported deaths
Diagnosis
- Virus isolation
- RT-PCR on CSF
Control
- Vector control (mosquitoes): drain standing water, sprays, etc