title: Monitoring of West Nile virus, Usutu virus and Meaban virus in waterfowl used as decoys and wild raptors in southern Spain.
abstract: In the last decade, the number of emerging flaviviruses described worldwide has increased considerably, with wild birds acting as the main reservoir hosts of these viruses. We carried out an epidemiological survey to determine the seroprevalence of antigenically related flaviviruses, particularly West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV) and Meaban virus (MBV), in waterfowl used as decoys and wild raptors in Andalusia (southern Spain), the region considered to have the highest risk of flaviviruses circulation in Spain. The overall flaviviruses seroprevalence according to bELISA was 13.0% in both in decoys (n=1052) and wild raptors (n=123). Specific antibodies against WNV, USUV and MBV were confirmed by micro virus neutralization tests in 12, 38 and 4 of the seropositive decoys, respectively. This is the first study on WNV and USUV infections in decoys and the first report of MBV infections in waterfowl and raptors. Moreover we report the first description of WNV infections in short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus). The seropositivity obtained indicates widespread but not homogeneous distribution of WNV and USUV in Andalusia. The results also confirm endemic circulation of WNV, USUV and MBV in both decoys and wild raptors in southern Spain. Our results highlight the need to implement surveillance and control programs not only for WNV but also for other related flaviviruses. Further research is needed to determine the eco-epidemiological role that waterfowl and wild raptors play in the transmission of emerging flaviviruses, especially in decoys, given their close interactions with humans.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba-Agrifood Excellence International Campus (ceiA3), 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jurado-Tarifa
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Napp
authors.affiliation: ANSES, Laboratoire de Santé Animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR 1161 Virologie, INRA, ANSES, ENVA, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecollinet
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba-Agrifood Excellence International Campus (ceiA3), 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arenas
authors.affiliation: ANSES, Laboratoire de Santé Animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR 1161 Virologie, INRA, ANSES, ENVA, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerdà-Cuéllar
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Sanidad Animal, Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía, 41012, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández-Morente
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba-Agrifood Excellence International Campus (ceiA3), 14071 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: nacho.garcia@uco.es.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García-Bocanegra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018177:Flavivirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D020304:Raptors / Q000821:virology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Decoys; Flaviviruses; Meaban virus; Spain; Usutu; West Nile; Wild raptors