title: Serological evidence of West Nile virus in dogs and cats in China.
abstract: We evaluated West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence in dogs and cats in Shanghai, China. Seventeen of the 367 dogs (4.6%) and 46 of the 309 cats (14.9%) tested positive for WNV antibodies. A higher WNV seroprevalence was found with outdoor and rural pets than with indoor and urban pets. However, WNV seroprevalence between the sexes were not significantly different. The results indicate that WNV-positive serum antibodies are present in dogs and cats in China, and pets, especially strays, could be served as effective sentinels for WNV surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai JiaoTong University, China.
authors.forename: Daoliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Wenhui
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Dayi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jingjuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Changsong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhibiao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiuguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hua
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002415:Cats; D002681:China; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral