Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Ca' Fornacetta, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Viruses. 2022 Feb 17;14(2):416. doi: 10.3390/v14020416.
The actual contribution of migratory birds in spreading West Nile (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) across Europe and from Africa to old countries is still controversial. In this study, we reported the results of molecular and serological surveys on migrating birds sampled during peaks of spring and autumn migration at 11 Italian sites located along important flyways, from 2012 to 2014. A total of 1335 specimens made of individual or pooled sera, and organs from 275 dead birds were tested for WNV and USUV RNA by real time PCR (RT-PCR). Furthermore, sera were tested by serum neutralization assay for detecting WNV and USUV neutralizing antibodies. Molecular tests detected WNV lineage 2 RNA in a pool made of three Song Thrush () sera sampled in autumn, and lineage 1 in kidneys of six trans-Saharan birds sampled in spring. Neutralizing antibodies against WNV and USUV were found in 5.80% ( = 72; 17 bird species) and 0.32% ( = 4; 4 bird species) of the tested sera, respectively. Our results do not exclude the role of migratory birds as potential spreaders of WNV and USUV from Africa and Central Europe to Mediterranean areas and highlight the importance of a more extensive active surveillance of zoonotic viruses.
候鸟在欧洲和非洲之间传播西尼罗河病毒（WNV）和乌苏图病毒（USUV）的实际贡献仍然存在争议。在这项研究中，我们报告了 2012 年至 2014 年期间，在意大利 11 个重要迁徙路线上的 11 个地点，在春季和秋季迁徙高峰期采集的迁徙鸟类的分子和血清学调查结果。总共对 1335 份个体或混合血清样本和 275 只死鸟的器官进行了实时 PCR（RT-PCR）检测 WNV 和 USUV RNA。此外，通过血清中和试验检测了血清中针对 WNV 和 USUV 的中和抗体。分子检测在秋季采集的三个画眉血清的混合样本中检测到了 WNV 谱系 2 RNA，在春季采集的 6 只撒哈拉以南鸟类的肾脏中检测到了谱系 1 RNA。在检测的血清中，分别有 5.80%（=72；17 种鸟类）和 0.32%（=4；4 种鸟类）检测到针对 WNV 和 USUV 的中和抗体。我们的研究结果并不排除候鸟作为从非洲和中欧向地中海地区传播 WNV 和 USUV 的潜在媒介的作用，并强调了更广泛地主动监测人畜共患病毒的重要性。
