title: Exposure of resident sparrows to West Nile virus evidenced in South Tunisia.
abstract: During the last few years, several cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans have been reported in Tunisia. However, detailed information on WNV infection in wild birds, the primary amplifying host of WNV, are lacking. In this work, we investigated the exposure of wild sparrows (hybrid Passer domesticus × hispaniolensis) living in two oases in southern Tunisia (Gabès and Kébili oases) to WNV, through the detection of WNV-specific antibodies by using ELISA and microneutralization tests. In total, 208 birds were sampled (54 from Kébili, 154 from Gabès). Anti-WNV antibodies were detected in two birds, corresponding to an overall seroprevalence of 1%. There was no significant difference between the two sampled populations [1·85% (1/54) in Kébili, 0·65% (1/154) in Gabès]. These data provide indirect evidence of the exposure of resident sparrows in southern Tunisia to WNV.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Vie,Faculté des Sciences de Gabès,Zrig,6072,Gabès-Tunisia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammouda
authors.affiliation: Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail (ANSES),UMR 1161 Virologie ANSES,INRA,ENVA,Maisons-Alfort,France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecollinet
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Vie,Faculté des Sciences de Gabès,Zrig,6072,Gabès-Tunisia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamza
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Vie,Faculté des Sciences de Gabès,Zrig,6072,Gabès-Tunisia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nasri
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Vie,Faculté des Sciences de Gabès,Zrig,6072,Gabès-Tunisia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neb
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Vie,Faculté des Sciences de Gabès,Zrig,6072,Gabès-Tunisia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selmi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D046370:Sparrows; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: West Nile virus; southern Tunisia; sparrows