Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Serological Evidence of Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Wild Birds in Portugal

Filipa Loureiro
,
Luís Cardoso
* ORCID logo ,
Ana C. Matos
ORCID logo ,
Cristina Pintado
ORCID logo ,
Filipe Silva
ORCID logo ,
Mariana Ferreira
,
Ricardo Brandão
,
Carolina Lopes
,
Ana Patrícia Lopes
,
João Rodrigo Mesquita
ORCID logo ,
Manuela Matos
ORCID logo ,
Ana Cláudia Coelho
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 6 May 2024 / Approved: 6 May 2024 / Online: 6 May 2024 (09:57:58 CEST)

How to cite: Loureiro, F.; Cardoso, L.; Matos, A. C.; Pintado, C.; Silva, F.; Ferreira, M.; Brandão, R.; Lopes, C.; Lopes, A. P.; Mesquita, J. R.; Matos, M.; Coelho, A. C. Serological Evidence of Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Wild Birds in Portugal. Preprints 2024, 2024050286. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0286.v1 Loureiro, F.; Cardoso, L.; Matos, A. C.; Pintado, C.; Silva, F.; Ferreira, M.; Brandão, R.; Lopes, C.; Lopes, A. P.; Mesquita, J. R.; Matos, M.; Coelho, A. C. Serological Evidence of Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Wild Birds in Portugal. Preprints 2024, 2024050286. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0286.v1

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases are a major threat to biodiversity and an important public health issue. West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging vector-borne zoonotic arbovirus that is currently broadening its distribution in Europe. The evidence of WNV circulating in resident and migratory species has implications for both animal and public health, and should therefore be studied in depth. An integrated surveillance program, namely in birds, is essential for reducing the risk of infection in human populations within the One Health principles. In the present study, wild birds admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centres in Portugal were sampled. Two-hundred and eight blood samples were assayed serologically to antibodies to WNV, by using a commercial ELISA kit. An overall seroprevalence of 19.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.7-26.7%) was observed. Antibodies to WNV were detected in 13 (35.1%) different species of wild birds. Accipitriformes (26.7%; 95% CI: 18.5-36.2%) and Strigiformes (26.7%; 95% CI: 14.6-42.0%) were the orders with the highest seroprevalence recorded. There were no statistically significant differences (p = 0.725) between the geographical regions (NUTS II) studied, but statistically significant difference (p = 0.017) was found between gender (male: 34.4%; female: 4.8%). A higher seroprevalence was found in adults (32.1%) compared to juvenile birds (9.3%) (p = 0.014), and age was considered a risk factor to WNV infection in wild birds (odds ratio 1.4; 95% CI: 0.5–4.0). More epidemiological studies are needed in Portugal, since the actual spread of the WNV throughout the country is unknown.

Keywords

ELISA; One Health; Portugal; seroprevalence; West Nile virus; wild birds; zoonosis

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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