title: Serologic evidence of exposure of wild mammals to flaviviruses in the central and eastern United States.
abstract: Serosurveys were conducted to obtain flavivirus and West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence data from mammals. Sera from 513 small- and medium-sized mammals collected during late summer and fall 2003 from Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were screened for flavivirus-specific antibodies. Sera samples containing antibody to flaviviruses were screened for WNV-specific antibodies by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and confirmed with plaque reduction neutralization tests. Prevalence of WNV antibodies among study sites ranged from 0% to 42.8% among the mammal communities sampled. High prevalence rates for WNV were noted among raccoons (100%, with a very small sample size, N = 2), Virginia opossums (50.0%), fox squirrels (49.1%), and eastern gray squirrels (48.3%). The high WNV antibody prevalence noted for tree squirrels, the peri-domestic tendencies of several of these species, and their ease of observation could make these species useful sentinels for monitoring WNV activity within urban communities.
authors.affiliation: National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA. jeff.root@aphis.usda.gov
authors.forename: J Jeffrey
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Root
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Marlenee
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Beaty
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gansowski
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D048293:Didelphis / Q000821:virology*; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral