title: Chronic West Nile virus infection in kea (Nestor notabilis).
abstract: Six kea (Nestor notabilis) in human care, naturally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 in Vienna, Austria, in 2008, developed mild to fatal neurological signs. WNV RNA persisted and the virus evolved in the birds' brains, as demonstrated by (phylo)genetic analyses of the complete viral genomes detected in kea euthanized between 2009 and 2014. WNV antibodies persisted in the birds, too. Chronic WNV infection in the brain might contribute to the circulation of the virus through oral transmission to predatory birds.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Hungária krt. 23-25, 1143 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: Tamas.Bakonyi@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bakonyi
authors.affiliation: Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Gyula.Gajdon@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Gyula K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Gajdon
authors.affiliation: Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Raoul.Schwing@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Raoul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwing
authors.affiliation: Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Wolfgang.Vogl@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vogl
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Avian, Reptile and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Annett.Haebich@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Annett-Carolin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Häbich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Denise.Thaller@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thaller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Herbert.Weissenboeck@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weissenböck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Kvetná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: rudolf@ivb.cz.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rudolf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Kvetná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: zhubalek@brno.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hubálek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, 123 Al-Khoudh, Oman. Electronic address: nowotny@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nowotny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001317:Austria; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010311:Parrots / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Austria; Kea; Lineage 2; Nestor notabilis; Persistent infection; Psittaciformes; WNV; West Nile virus