West Nile virus (WNV) infection causes neurological disease at all levels of the neural axis, accompanied by neuroinflammation and neuronal loss, although the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. Given the substantial activation of neuroinflammatory pathways observed in WNV infection, we hypothesized that WNV-mediated neuroinflammation and cell death occurred through WNV infection of both gl...

The increasing threat of arboviruses such as West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu (USUV) requires the fast efficient surveillance these viruses. examination mosquitoes takes up an important part; however, investigations are usually very time-consuming. An alternative sample type for arbovirus might be mosquito excreta. In order to determine excretion dynamics under laboratory conditions, colonies Ae...

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that infects humans and other mammals. In some cases WNV causes severe neurological disease. During recent years, outbreaks of WNV are increasing in worldwide distribution and novel genetic variants of the virus have been detected. Although a substantial amount of data exists on WNV infections in rodent models, little is known about early eve...

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that cycles between mosquitoes and birds but that can also infect humans, horses, and other vertebrate animals. In most humans, WNV infection remains subclinical. However, 20%-40% of those infected may develop WNV disease, with symptoms ranging from fever to meningoencephalitis. A large variety of WNV strains have been described worldwide. Based...

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes annual epidemics of encephalitic disease throughout the world. Despite the ongoing risk to public health, no approved vaccines or therapies exist for use in humans to prevent or combat WNV infection. The innate immune response is critical for controlling WNV replication, limiting virus-induced pathology, and programming ...

Following the introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) into North America in 1999, surveillance for WNV in migratory and resident birds was established in Tamaulipas State, northern México in December 2001. Overall, 796 birds representing 70 species and 10 orders were captured and assayed for antibodies to WNV. Nine birds had flavivirus-specific antibodies by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunos...

Prior to 2006, West Nile virus (WNV) had not been definitively detected in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico, although it circulates elsewhere in Mexico and Central America. We collected over 30,000 mosquitoes and blood-sampled 351 domestic animals in Chiapas in search for evidence of current or recent transmission of WNV. Two mosquito pools tested positive for WNV RNA and 17 domestic a...

The severity of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in immunocompetent animals is highly strain dependent, ranging from avirulent to highly neuropathogenic. Here, we investigate the nature of this strain-specific restriction by analyzing the replication of avirulent (WNV-MAD78) and highly virulent (WNV-NY) strains in neurons, astrocytes, and microvascular endothelial cells, which comprise the neuro...

Dengue virus (DV) and West Nile virus (WNV) have become a global concern due to their widespread distribution and their ability to cause a variety of human diseases. Antiviral immune defenses involve NK cells. In the present study, we investigated the interaction between NK cells and these two flaviviruses. We show that the NK-activating receptor NKp44 is involved in virally mediated NK activat...

West Nile virus (WNV) can cause encephalitis or meningitis that affects brain tissue, which can also lead to permanent neurological damage that can be fatal. To our knowledge, no consistent double immunohistochemical staining of neurons, neuroglia cells, and WNV has yet been reported. To establish a method for performing double-label immunohistochemical detection of neurons, neuroglia cells and...