Abstract

DIAZ, Luis A.; QUAGLIA, Agustín; FLORES, Fernando S.  and  CONTIGIANI, Marta S.. West Nile Virus in Argentina: a new emerging infectious agent raising new challenges. Hornero [online]. 2011, vol.26, n.1, pp.5-28. ISSN 0073-3407.

The West Nile virus, a human pathogen flavivirus, has recently shown an emerging process through the American continent. Since its introduction in 1999 into the United States, it became a concerned pathogen for wild bird populations, because of massive bird deaths events and significant bird population declines. By 2001 the virus has reached countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The true role of this virus as pathogen for wild birds there is unknown, mainly due to the lack of active surveillance systems. Notwithstanding, there is no epizootic event reported yet, in contrast with the epidemiological behaviour of the virus in the United States. In Argentina, its ecoepidemiology is mostly unknown and it has received little attention from ornithologists. There are reports of viral isolations from dead equines, encephalitis and febrile human cases, as well as neutralizing antibodies detections in wild birds in central and northern provinces. In this review we provide an updated analysis regarding the ecoepidemiology of West Nile virus, and we give basic insights related to basic virological and epidemiological concepts in order to call the attention of ornithologists on the relationship between pathogens and bird conservation. Stronger support on interdisciplinary scientific projects is necessary to provide insight into the biology, ecology and epidemiology of this new viral pathogen in the American continent.

Keywords : Ecoepidemiology; Epizootic; Flavivirus; West Nile virus.

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