Pollock Christal G
Lafeber Company, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, USA.
J Avian Med Surg. 2008 Jun;22(2):151-7. doi: 10.1647/2007-029R.1.
West Nile virus causes sporadic disease in the Eastern hemisphere that is often asymptomatic or mild, whereas in the Western hemisphere, West Nile virus has been associated with illness and profound mortality in many avian species. West Nile virus might have been transported to North America by an infected mosquito or the virus could have entered within a vertebrate host like a bird. Although the most important method of West Nile virus transmission is by Culex species mosquitoes, additional modes of transmission have been identified. West Nile virus has been isolated from almost 300 species of Western birds. The long-term effects on common species such as corvids, sparrows, grackles, finches, hawks, and robins are still being debated. However the potential effect of West Nile virus on small populations or species with limited geographic distribution, such as Hawaiian avifauna, could be much more catastrophic.
西尼罗河病毒在东半球引发散发性疾病，通常无症状或症状轻微，而在西半球，西尼罗河病毒与许多鸟类物种的疾病和高死亡率有关。西尼罗河病毒可能是由受感染的蚊子传播到北美，或者该病毒可能在鸟类等脊椎动物宿主内进入。尽管西尼罗河病毒最重要的传播方式是通过库蚊属蚊子，但已确定了其他传播途径。西尼罗河病毒已从近300种西半球鸟类中分离出来。对鸦科鸟类、麻雀、拟椋鸟、雀类、鹰和知更鸟等常见物种的长期影响仍在争论中。然而，西尼罗河病毒对小种群或地理分布有限的物种（如夏威夷鸟类）的潜在影响可能更具灾难性。
