Investigation of west nile virus infection in brown bears (ursus arctos) in turkey

Abstract

Aim: This study is a serological and virological examination of the West Nile Virus (WNV) in free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Sarikamis district of Kars province of Turkey. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, blood samples from 11 brown bears were tested for antibodies against WNV using a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to determine the presence of West Nile Virus nucleic acid. Results: Seropositivity rate was detected to be zero % and West Nile virus nucleic acid was not found in samples. Conclusions: The significance of WNV infection in brown bears and other free-ranging mammals in the Turkey is unknown at this time and will require further investigation. This is the first report of WNV infection in brown bears in Turkey.

Keywords

• brown bears
• elisa
• rt-pcr
• west nile virus