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1 September 2009 Declining Mortality in American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Following Natural West Nile Virus Infection
Lisa M. Reed, Michael A. Johansson, Nicholas Panella, Robert McLean, Terry Creekmore, Rose Puelle, Nicholas Komar
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Abstract

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is known to suffer 100% mortality from infection with the New York 1999 strain of West Nile virus (WNV). Following the initial detection of WNV in North America in 1999, we measured prevalence of WNV-reactive antibodies (“seroprevalence”) in free-ranging American and fish crows (Corvus ossifragus) of central New Jersey after each transmission season through 2005. In 2002, seroprevalence in American crow juveniles increased to 14% from the 5% of the previous year, potentially indicating increased survival in this species. Using the annual seroprevalence measurements and the number of human West Nile neuroinvasive disease cases as a surrogate for WNV transmission intensity, we developed a model to estimate the annual WNV-associated mortality rates among both of these crow species. Our model supports the hypothesis that mortality is changing over time; the WNV-associated mortality rate declined over time by 1.5% for American crow and by 1.1% for fish crow. The probability that the trend in mortality was negative was 90% for the American crow and 60% for the fish crow.

Lisa M. Reed, Michael A. Johansson, Nicholas Panella, Robert McLean, Terry Creekmore, Rose Puelle, and Nicholas Komar "Declining Mortality in American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Following Natural West Nile Virus Infection," Avian Diseases 53(3), 458-461, (1 September 2009). https://doi.org/10.1637/8468-091208-ResNote.1
Received: 20 October 2008; Accepted: 1 March 2009; Published: 1 September 2009
KEYWORDS
corvids
crows
infection
mortality
seroprevalence
West Nile virus
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