Q: How do people get infected with West Nile Virus (WNV)? A: The most likely way a human would become infected with WNV is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Some people have also become infected with WNV following receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, or transplanted organs from an infected donor. Mothers who are recently infected with WNV may also transmit the virus to their...

Previous studies of North American isolates of West Nile virus (WNV) during 1999-2005 suggested that the virus had reached genetic homeostasis in North America. However, genomic sequencing of WNV isolates from Harris County, Texas, during 2002-2009 suggests that this is not the case. Three new genetic groups have been identified in Texas since 2005. Spread of the southwestern US genotype (SW/WN...

Recent epidemic activity and its introduction into the Western Hemisphere have drawn attention to West Nile virus (WNV) as an international public health problem. Of particular concern has been the ability for the virus to cause outbreaks of disease in highly populated urban centers. Incrimination of Australian mosquito species is an essential component in determining the receptivity of Austral...

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and human neuropathogen. Since the virus was recognized in New York City in 1999, it has spread rapidly across the United States, with human disease documented in 39 states and the District of Columbia. West Nile virus can cause a broad range of clinical syndromes, including fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and a flaccid paralysis characteristic of...

West Nile virus has undergone an unprecedented rate of infection in North America, sweeping from New York to California in four years. It attacked an exceptionally broad range of hosts/vectors over a broad geographic area. In 2004, the California Department of Health Services received approximately 98,000 reports of dead birds, representing tens of millions of birds killed by West Nile virus in...

West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies were detected in horses from five Mexican states, and WNV was isolated from a Common Raven in the state of Tabasco. Phylogenetic studies indicate that this isolate, the first from Mexico, is related to strains from the central United States but has a relatively high degree of sequence divergence.

BACKGROUND The two-component NS2B-NS3 proteases of West Nile and dengue viruses are essential for viral replication and established targets for drug development. In all crystal structures of the proteases to date, the NS2B cofactor is located far from the substrate binding site (open conformation) in the absence of inhibitor and lining the substrate binding site (closed conformation) in the pre...

Since its emergence in the United States in 1999, West Nile Virus has caused hundreds of deaths and has been spreading geographically. In order to efficiently control West Nile Virus outbreaks, it is necessary to monitor the spread of its primary mosquito vectors. This report contains a new computational method to optimize the surveillance methods of West Nile Virus vectors at St. Tammany Paris...

This paper provides the clinician with an understanding of the epidemiologic and biological characteristics of West Nile virus in North America, as well as useful information on the diagnosis, reporting, and management of patients with suspected West Nile virus infection and on advising patients about prevention. Information was gathered from the medical literature and from national surveillanc...