Detection of West Nile virus RNA from the louse fly Icosta americana (Diptera: Hippoboscidae).
West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by Taqman reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 4 of 85 (4.7%) blood-engorged (n = 2) and unengorged (n = 2) Icosta americana (Leach) hippoboscid flies that were collected from wild raptors submitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Mercer County, NJ, in 2003. This report represents an additional detection of WNV in a nonculicine arthropod in North America and the first documented detection of the virus in unengorged hippoboscid flies, further suggesting a possible role that this species may play in the transmission of WNV in North America.
Farajollahi
Ary
A
Mosquito Research and Control, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Crans
Wayne J
WJ
Nickerson
Diane
D
Bryant
Patricia
P
Wolf
Bruce
B
Glaser
Amy
A
Andreadis
Theodore G
TG
D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000821:virology*; D009515:New Jersey; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000635:transmission; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D012367:RNA, Viral