title: Serologic survey of potential vertebrate hosts for West Nile virus in Poland.
abstract: A survey for antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV; genus ,Flavivirus) was carried out by plaque-re-duction neutralization microtesting in 78 horses, 20 domestic chickens, and 97 wild birds belonging to 10 species from different areas in Poland. Specific antibodies were detected in five juvenile (hatching-year) birds collected in 2006: three white storks (Ciconia ciconia) in a wildlife rehabilitation center (5.4% of all examined storks; the antibody titers in each bird were 1:320, 1:160, and 1:20), one free-living mute swan (Cygnus olor; the titer was 1:20), and one hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix; the titer 1:20) in a wildlife rehabilitation center; thus the overall seropositivity to WNV was 5.2% among all the birds sampled. These data do not rule out the presence of WNV activity in Poland with 100% certainty, but they indicate a significant trace that demands verification. In addition, one black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) had neutralizing antibodies for the Usutu Flavivirus, the first case recorded in Poland.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic. zhubalek@ivb.cz
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hubálek
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wegner
authors.forename: Jirí
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halouzka
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tryjanowski
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jerzak
authors.forename: Silvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sikutová
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rudolf
authors.forename: Andrzej G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kruszewicz
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jaworski
authors.forename: Radoslaw
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wlodarczyk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001717:Birds; D002645:Chickens; D006736:Horses; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral