title: Characterizing areas of potential human exposure to eastern equine encephalitis virus using serological and clinical data from horses.
abstract: Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a rare but severe emerging vector-borne disease affecting human and animal populations in the northeastern United States where it is endemic. Key knowledge gaps remain about the epidemiology of EEE virus (EEEV) in areas where its emergence has more recently been reported. In Eastern Canada, viral activity has been recorded in mosquitoes and horses throughout the 2000s but cases of EEEV in humans have not been reported so far. This study was designed to provide an assessment of possible EEEV human exposure by modelling environmental risk factors for EEEV in horses, identifying high-risk environments and mapping risk in the province of Quebec, Canada. According to logistic models, being located near wooded swamps was a risk factor for seropositivity or disease in horses [odds ratio (OR) 4·15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·16-14·8) whereas being located on agricultural lands was identified as protective (OR 0·75, 95% CI 0·62-0·92). A better understanding of the environmental risk of exposure to EEEV in Canada provides veterinary and public health officials with enhanced means to more effectively monitor the emergence of this public health risk and design targeted surveillance and preventive measures.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique,Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe,Québec,Canada.
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rocheleau
authors.affiliation: Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique,Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe,Québec,Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arsenault
authors.affiliation: Public Health Risk Science Division,Public Health Agency of Canada,National Microbiology Laboratory at Saint-Hyacinthe,Québec,Canada.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Ogden
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada,National Microbiology Laboratory,Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division,Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada,National Microbiology Laboratory,Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division,Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drebot
authors.affiliation: Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique,Faculté de médecine vétérinaire,Université de Montréal,Saint-Hyacinthe,Québec,Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Michel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D004663:Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine / Q000276:immunology*; D020242:Encephalomyelitis, Eastern Equine / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Arboviruses; epidemiology; equine encephalitis (human); horse; risk assessment