Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Feb 13;6(2):752-81.
doi: 10.3390/v6020752.

Experimental infections of wild birds with West Nile virus

Elisa Pérez-Ramírez  1 , Francisco Llorente  2 , Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero  3
Affiliations
Review

Experimental infections of wild birds with West Nile virus

Elisa Pérez-Ramírez et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Avian models of West Nile virus (WNV) disease have become pivotal in the study of infection pathogenesis and transmission, despite the intrinsic constraints that represents this type of experimental research that needs to be conducted in biosecurity level 3 (BSL3) facilities. This review summarizes the main achievements of WNV experimental research carried out in wild birds, highlighting advantages and limitations of this model. Viral and host factors that determine the infection outcome are analyzed in detail, as well as recent discoveries about avian immunity, viral transmission, and persistence achieved through experimental research. Studies of laboratory infections in the natural host will help to understand variations in susceptibility and reservoir competence among bird species, as well as in the epidemiological patterns found in different affected areas.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of wild bird species, distributed by order, used in WNV experimental infections. Pictures show two representative species used in this type of experiments by the authors’ group: House sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of publications involving WNV experimental inoculations in wild birds, distributed by taxonomic order.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beck C., Jiménez-Clavero M.A., Leblond A., Durand B., Nowotny N., Leparc-Goffart I., Zientara S., Jourdain E., Lecollinet S. Flaviviruses in Europe: complex circulation patterns and their consequences for the diagnosis and control of west nile disease. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2013;10:6049–6083. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smithburn K.C., Hughes T.P., Burke A.W., Paul J.H., African A. A neurotropic virus isolated from the blood of a native of Uganda. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 1940;20:471–492.
    1. Kramer L.D., Li J., Shi P. West Nile virus. Lancet Neurol. 2007;6:171–181. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(07)70030-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. McLean R.G., Ubico S.R., Bourne D., Komar N. West Nile virus in livestock and wildlife. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 2002;267:271–308. - PubMed
    1. Komar N., Langevin S., Hinten S., Nemeth N., Edwards E., Hettler D., Davis B., Bowen R., Bunning M. Experimental infection of North American birds with the New York 1999 strain of West Nile virus. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2003;9:311–322. doi: 10.3201/eid0903.020628. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources