Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Eleonora's Falcons in the Canary Islands

Laura Gangoso; Juan Manuel Grande; Francisco Llorente; Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero; Jesús M. Pérez; Jordi Figuerola

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-46.4.1321

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1 October 2010 Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Eleonora's Falcons in the Canary Islands

Laura Gangoso, Juan Manuel Grande, Francisco Llorente, Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero, Jesús M. Pérez, Jordi Figuerola

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J. of Wildlife Diseases, 46(4):1321-1324 (2010). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-46.4.1321

Abstract

Birds are the major amplifying host for West Nile virus (WNV), a flavivirus that may affect humans and transmitted by bloodsucking vectors. Eleonora's Falcons (Falco eleonorae) migrate to the Canary Islands annually from WNV-endemic regions. To investigate the possible role of Eleonora's Falcons in the circulation of WNV, we measured WNV-specific antibodies in 81 falcons captured in 2006. None of the nestlings but 14.8% of the adults had WNV-neutralizing antibodies. RT-PCR did not detect flaviviruses in nonculicine ectoparasites (n=231) of the falcons. These findings suggest that WNV infection did not occur locally, but rather on the wintering grounds or during migration.

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Laura Gangoso, Juan Manuel Grande, Francisco Llorente, Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero, Jesús M. Pérez, and Jordi Figuerola "Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Eleonora's Falcons in the Canary Islands," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46(4), 1321-1324, (1 October 2010). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-46.4.1321

Received: 23 February 2010; Accepted: 1 June 2010; Published: 1 October 2010

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