title: Seroprevalence of West Nile virus antibodies in equids in the North-East of Algeria and detection of virus circulation in 2014.
abstract: West Nile fever (WNF) is a viral disease of wild birds transmitted by mosquitoes. Humans and equids can also be affected and suffer from meningoencephalitis. In Algeria, since the 1994 epidemic, no data on WNV circulation was available until 2012. In September 2012, a fatal human case of WNV neuro-invasive infection occurred in Jijel province. This study describes the first seroprevalence study of West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies conducted in the equine population in Algeria. During 2014, serum samples were collected from 293 equids (222 donkeys and 71 horses) asymptomatic and unvaccinated for WNV in three localities in Northeastern wetlands of Algeria. Antibodies against WNV were found in 51 samples (seroprevalence 17.4%) of sampled equids, distributed as follows: 19 (seroprevalence 26.8%) horses and 32 (seroprevalence 14.4%) donkeys. Moreover 7 horses coming from Blida, in the center of Algeria, were tested before and after an 8-months stay in North-East Algeria. We observe a seroconversion in 2 horses, showing WNV circulation in 2014 in this specific region of Algeria.
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences Vétérinaires, Université de Blida 1, Algeria.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lafri
authors.affiliation: IRBA-Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, French National Reference Centre for Arboviruses, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Prat
authors.affiliation: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Vétérinaire d'Alger, Algeria; Université M'hamed BOUGARRA, Laboratoire VALCORE, Boumerdes, Algeria; Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (UMR 7278), Marseille, France; Laboratoire Biodiversité et Environnement: Interactions, Génomes, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria. Electronic address: idirbitam@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Idir
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bitam
authors.affiliation: IRBA-Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, French National Reference Centre for Arboviruses, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gravier
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences Vétérinaires, Université de Blida 1, Algeria; Ecole Nationale Supérieure Vétérinaire d'Alger, Algeria.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besbaci
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Vétérinaires, Université d'El Tarf, Algeria.
authors.forename: Fayçal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zeroual
authors.affiliation: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Vétérinaire d'Alger, Algeria.
authors.forename: Meriem Hind
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ben-Mahdi
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (UMR 7278), Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davoust
authors.affiliation: IRBA-Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, French National Reference Centre for Arboviruses, Marseille, France; UMR "Emergence des Pathologies Virales" (EPV: Aix-Marseille university - IRD 190 - Inserm 1207 - EHESP), Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leparc-Goffart
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D018397:Equidae / Q000276:immunology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006736:Horses / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D000069078:Seroconversion; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Algeria; Donkey; Horse; West Nile virus; Wetlands