West Nile virus was recovered from the brain of a red-tailed hawk that died in Westchester County, N.Y., in February 2000. Multiple foci of glial cells, lymphocytes, and a few pyknotic nuclei were observed in the brain. Three to 4 days after inoculation of Vero cells with brain homogenates, cytopathic changes were detected. The presence of West Nile virus antigen in fixed cells or cell lysates ...

Heterogeneity in urban landscapes can influence the effectiveness of mosquito-borne disease control. We used remotely sensed vegetation indices to discriminate among mosquito habitats within a densely populated urban environment in New Haven, CT. ASTER derived vegetation indices were identified for 16 sites where adult mosquitoes were trapped over the summer of 2004. Canonical correlation analy...

The West Nile virus (WNC) first appeared in North America in 1999. The North American lineages of WNV were characterized by the presence of neuroinvasive and neurovirulent strains causing disease and death in humans, birds and horses. The 2012 WNV season in the United States saw a massive spike in the number of neuroinvasive cases and deaths similar to what was seen in the 2002-2003 season, acc...

Macromolecular interactions play very important roles in regulation of all levels of biological processes. Aberrant macromolecular interactions often result in diseases. By applying a combination of spectroscopy, calorimetry, computation and other techniques, the protein-protein interactions in the system of the Shaw2 Kv channel and the protein-RNA interactions in West Nile virus RNA-cellular p...

Seven alligators were submitted to the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory for necropsy during two epizootics in the fall of 2001 and 2002. The alligators were raised in temperature-controlled buildings and fed a diet of horsemeat supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Histologic findings in the juvenile alligators were multiorgan necrosis, heterophilic granulomas, and...

A recent outbreak of West Nile virus has allowed for observations as to the clinical course of this emerging pathogen during pregnancy. We present three cases of West Nile virus infection during pregnancy. Case 1 presented at term with focal subjective weakness and fever. With supportive care, her symptoms were resolved within 7 days, and she subsequently delivered an unaffected term infant. Ca...

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) represent an emerging threat to human and livestock health globally. In particular, those transmitted by mosquitoes present the greatest challenges to disease control efforts. An understanding of the molecular basis for mosquito innate immunity to arbovirus infection is therefore critical to investigations regarding arbovirus evolution, virus-vector ecology...

To determine whether West Nile virus (WNV) had reached the archipelago of Guadeloupe, a serologic study in horses and birds was conducted in 2002. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and seroneutralization tests identified WNV infection in horses and chickens. Six months later, a high rate of seroconversion was observed in horses.

West Nile (WN) virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and human, equine, and avian neuropathogen. The virus is indigenous to Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia, and has recently caused large epidemics in Romania, Russia, and Israel. Birds are the natural reservoir (amplifying) hosts, and WN virus is maintained in nature in a mosquito-bird-mosquito transmission cycle primarily involving Culex sp ...

Cow calves were infected with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) by parenteral inoculation. One batch was reinfected with JEV, followed by West Nile virus (WNV), while another batch was reinfected directly with WNV. No viraemia due to either JEV or WNV was demonstrated in any of the calves. Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes fed on 4 of the calves infected with JEV during the first 10 d had no d...