1 French National Reference Centre for Arbovirus-Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute , Marseille, France .
2 Research Unit of Emerging Infectious and Tropical Diseases (URMITE) UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Aix-Marseille University , Marseille, France .
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017 Apr;17(4):275-277. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2024. Epub 2017 Jan 11.
West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed over the world, including Europe, Africa, and Asia and spread over the past two decades to North and South America. In the south of France, sporadic cases are frequently described and the virus is endemic in Italy with frequent cases and outbreaks. The aim of this study was to identify a possible WNV circulation in Corsica (French island in the Mediterranean Sea) in sheep, horses, and dogs as sentinel animals for the virus surveillance. In 2014, 386 blood samples were collected from 219 sheep, 96 horses, and 71 dogs, in 12 localities in Corsica, in the oriental coast of Corsica. Each sample was systematically tested for WNV immunoglobulin G using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with inactivated WNV as antigen. The result of the ELISA for the WNV antibody test on the sheep sera was all negative, whereas 9 of 96 horses (9.4%) and 6 of 71 dogs (8.4%) presented WNV antibodies. All the positive samples from horses and dogs were confirmed by serum neutralization test. Although no clinical case in humans and horses was reported to date, this report highlights the necessity to improve WNV surveillance in animals and humans, as well as in blood donors in Corsica.
西尼罗河病毒（WNV）广泛分布于世界各地，包括欧洲、非洲和亚洲，并在过去二十年传播到北美洲和南美洲。在法国南部，经常有散发病例报道，该病毒在意大利流行，时有病例和疫情发生。本研究的目的是确定科西嘉岛（地中海法国岛屿）的绵羊、马和狗等哨点动物中是否存在 WNV 循环。2014 年，在科西嘉岛东海岸的 12 个地点采集了 219 只绵羊、96 匹马和 71 只狗的 386 份血样。每个样本都用针对灭活 WNV 的内部酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）系统地检测 WNV 免疫球蛋白 G。绵羊血清的 WNV 抗体 ELISA 结果均为阴性，而 9 匹（9.4%）和 6 匹（8.4%）马及 6 只（8.4%）狗呈现 WNV 抗体阳性。所有马和狗的阳性样本均通过血清中和试验得到确认。尽管目前尚未有人类和马的临床病例报告，但本报告强调有必要加强科西嘉岛动物和人类以及献血者的 WNV 监测。
