title: West Nile virus ecology in a tropical ecosystem in Guatemala.
abstract: West Nile virus ecology has yet to be rigorously investigated in the Caribbean Basin. We identified a transmission focus in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, and established systematic monitoring of avian abundance and infection, seroconversions in domestic poultry, and viral infections in mosquitoes. West Nile virus transmission was detected annually between May and October from 2005 to 2008. High temperature and low rainfall enhanced the probability of chicken seroconversions, which occurred in both urban and rural sites. West Nile virus was isolated from Culex quinquefasciatus and to a lesser extent, from Culex mollis/Culex inflictus, but not from the most abundant Culex mosquito, Culex nigripalpus. A calculation that combined avian abundance, seroprevalence, and vertebrate reservoir competence suggested that great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is the major amplifying host in this ecosystem. West Nile virus transmission reached moderate levels in sentinel chickens during 2007, but less than that observed during outbreaks of human disease attributed to West Nile virus in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Studies, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala. me_morales@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Morales-Betoulle
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Komar
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Panella
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: María R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Betoulle
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.forename: María L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: A Marm
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lanciotti
authors.forename: Barbara W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cordón-Rosales
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology; D017753:Ecosystem; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*