title: Serological evidence for the circulation of flaviviruses in seabird populations of the western Indian Ocean.
abstract: Birds play a central role in the epidemiology of several flaviviruses of concern for public and veterinary health. Seabirds represent the most abundant and widespread avifauna in the western Indian Ocean and may play an important role as host reservoirs and spreaders of arthropod-borne pathogens such as flaviviruses. We report the results of a serological investigation based on blood samples collected from nine seabird species from seven islands in the Indian Ocean. Using a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay directed against the prototypic West Nile flavivirus, antibodies against flaviviruses were detected in the serum of 47 of the 855 seabirds tested. They were detected in bird samples from three islands and from four bird species. Seroneutralization tests on adults and chicks suggested that great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) from Europa were infected by West Nile virus during their non-breeding period, and that Usutu virus probably circulated within bird colonies on Tromelin and on Juan de Nova. Real-time polymerase chain reactions performed on bird blood samples did not yield positive results precluding the genetic characterization of flavivirus using RNA sequencing. Our findings stress the need to further investigate flavivirus infections in arthropod vectors present in seabird colonies.
authors.affiliation: CRVOI (Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l'Océan Indien),GIP CYROI,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.affiliation: UPE,UMR 1161 Virologie,ANSES,INRA,ENVA,ANSES Animal Health Laboratory,EU-RL on Equine Diseases,Maisons-Alfort,France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecollinet
authors.affiliation: UPE,UMR 1161 Virologie,ANSES,INRA,ENVA,ANSES Animal Health Laboratory,EU-RL on Equine Diseases,Maisons-Alfort,France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: CRVOI (Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l'Océan Indien),GIP CYROI,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.affiliation: Université de la Réunion,UMR ENTROPIE,IRD - CNRS,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Corre
authors.affiliation: CRVOI (Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l'Océan Indien),GIP CYROI,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dellagi
authors.affiliation: CRVOI (Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l'Océan Indien),GIP CYROI,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pascalis
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive,CNRS Université Montpellier UMR 5175,Montpellier,France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boulinier
authors.affiliation: CRVOI (Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l'Océan Indien),GIP CYROI,Saint Denis,La Réunion,France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lebarbenchon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001717:Birds / Q000097:blood*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019156:Indian Ocean; D007195:Indian Ocean Islands; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Great frigatebird; Meaban virus; Usutu virus; West Nile virus; masked booby; red-footed booby; sooty tern