title: Sentinel pigeon surveillance for West Nile virus by using lard-can traps at differing elevations and canopy cover classes.
abstract: Sentinel pigeons, Columba livia, were installed in lard-can traps at heights of 1.5 m and 7.6-9.1 m within differing canopy cover classes in New York City. Adult mosquitoes were collected weekly from July to October 2002, as were serum samples from each pigeon. Culex pipiens L. and Culex restuans Theobald comprised 97% of mosquitoes collected and were most numerous in canopy-level, forested traps. The West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) seroconversion rate was significantly greater for pigeons in canopy-level traps, although seroconversions occurred concurrently with human cases in the city and were of little prognostic value to public health agencies. Our results indicate that sentinel pigeons were most effective for monitoring enzootic transmission of WNV when placed in single-sentinel caging 7.6-9.1 m above ground level.
authors.affiliation: Green Street Scientific LLC, Forest Hills, NY 11375, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Deegan
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huguenin
authors.forename: Eliza Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Steinhaus
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Panella
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Komar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D010856:Columbidae / Q000821:virology*; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance / Q000662:veterinary*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014197:Trees; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral