Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Saint Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus in dogs and cats
By Currenti, Luisina et al.·Published in Archives of virology·2020·Instituto de Virologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serological survey for Saint Louis encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in domestic mammals in Córdoba, Argentina: are our pets potential sentinels?
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In Córdoba, Argentina, a study found that 14.6% of dogs tested positive for the Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), while only 2.1% of cats showed signs of the West Nile virus (WNV). This means that some pets can help detect these viruses in the area. The researchers noted that three dogs developed antibodies against SLEV during the study, indicating they had been exposed to the virus. This information suggests that monitoring pets can be valuable for tracking these viruses in the environment.
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Abstract
We evaluated the seroprevalence of Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) in dogs and cats in Córdoba, Argentina. Monotypic and heterotypic serological patterns were differentiated by means of a neutralization test. The SLEV seroprevalence in dogs was 14.6% (44/302; 100% monotypic). Two out of 94 (2.1%, 100% monotypic) cats were positive for WNV only. Four dogs (1.3%) exhibited neutralizing antibody titers against SLEV and WNV. During the study, three dogs seroconverted to SLEV. Our study demonstrates that pets were useful for detecting viral activity and could be considered as sentinels in the local surveillance of SLEV and WNV.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32627058/