Volume 9, Number 10—October 2003
Dispatch
West Nile Virus Transmission in Resident Birds, Dominican Republic
Table
Species | KUNHM catalog no. | Date sampled | Age and sexb | Locality | SLEV PRNT90 | WNV PRNT90 | % inhibition by ELISAc | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ruddy quail-dove
(Geotrygon montana) |
94667 |
21 Nov |
Immature male |
Los Haitises |
<10d |
20d |
40 |
WNV |
Mangrove cuckoo
(Coccyzus minor) |
94671 |
19 Nov |
Adult femalee |
Los Haitises |
<10 |
160 |
81 |
WNV |
Hispaniolan lizard cuckoo
(Saurothera longirostris) |
94669 |
18 Nov |
Adult female |
Los Haitises |
160 |
640 |
73 |
WNV |
Hispaniolan lizard cuckoo
(Saurothera longirostris) |
94670 |
21 Nov |
Adult male |
Los Haitises |
<10 |
40 |
23 |
FLAV |
Hispaniolan trogon
(Priotelus roseigaster) |
94951 |
12 Nov |
Adult male |
Sierra de Baoruco |
<10 |
10 |
6 |
FLAV |
Red-legged thrush
(Turdus plumbeus) |
94956 |
20 Nov |
Adult femalee |
Los Haitises |
10 |
160 |
86 |
WNV |
Red-legged thrush
(Turdus plumbeus) |
94689 |
19 Nov |
Adult malee |
Los Haitises |
<10 |
80 |
not available |
FLAV |
Red-legged thrush
(Turdus plumbeus) |
94691 |
21 Nov |
Adult female |
Los Haitises |
20 |
1280 |
61 |
WNV |
Greater Antillean grackle (Quiscalus niger) | 94949 | 19 Nov | Adult male | Los Haitises | 640 | 40 | 42 | FLAVf |
aELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; FLAV, undifferentiated flavivirus; KUNHM, University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Division of Ornithology; PRNT90, reciprocal 90% plaque reduction neutralization titer; SLEV, Saint Louis encephalitis virus; WNV, West Nile virus.
bBirds were in nonbreeding condition unless otherwise indicated.
cInhibition values >30% were considered significant.
dValues represent reciprocal titers; threshold of detection was 1:10.
eBreeding condition, as determined by size of gonads.
fAlthough serologic results based upon PRNT would suggest that this specimen be identified as SLEV antibody–positive, the WNV antibody–positive result in the blocking ELISA indicates that this specimen was possibly positive for both SLEV and WNV. However, secondary flavivirus infections are notorious for heterologous reactivity, so infection by WNV or other flaviviruses causing these reactions could not be ruled out. Hence, the determination as FLAV.