Evidence for West Nile Virus and Usutu Virus Infections in Wild and Resident Birds in Germany, 2017 and 2018

Friederike Michel; Michael Sieg; Dominik Fischer; Markus Keller; Martin Eiden; Maximilian Reuschel; Volker Schmidt; Rebekka Schwehn; Monika Rinder; Sylvia Urbaniak; Kerstin Müller; Martina Schmoock; Renke Lühken; Patrick Wysocki; Christine Fast; Michael Lierz; Rüdiger Korbel; Thomas W. Vahlenkamp; Martin H. Groschup; Ute Ziegler

doi:10.3390/v11070674

Viruses (Jul 2019)

Evidence for West Nile Virus and Usutu Virus Infections in Wild and Resident Birds in Germany, 2017 and 2018

Friederike Michel,
Michael Sieg,
Dominik Fischer,
Markus Keller,
Martin Eiden,
Maximilian Reuschel,
Volker Schmidt,
Rebekka Schwehn,
Monika Rinder,
Sylvia Urbaniak,
Kerstin Müller,
Martina Schmoock,
Renke Lühken,
Patrick Wysocki,
Christine Fast,
Michael Lierz,
Rüdiger Korbel,
Thomas W. Vahlenkamp,
Martin H. Groschup,
Ute Ziegler

Affiliations

Friederike Michel: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Michael Sieg: Institute of Virology (Faculty of veterinary medicine), Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
Dominik Fischer: Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Straße 91, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
Markus Keller: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Martin Eiden: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Maximilian Reuschel: Clinic for Small Mammals, Reptiles and Birds, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, D-30559 Hannover, Germany
Volker Schmidt: Clinic for Birds and Reptiles (Faculty of veterinary medicine), Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 17, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
Rebekka Schwehn: Clinic for Small Mammals, Reptiles and Birds, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, D-30559 Hannover, Germany
Monika Rinder: Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Sonnenstraße 18, D-85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany
Sylvia Urbaniak: Birds of Prey Rehab Center Rhineland (Greifvogelhilfe Rheinland)/Tierarztpraxis Sudhoff, Hehnerholt 105, D-41069 Mönchengladbach, Germany
Kerstin Müller: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinic, Freie Universität Berlin, Oertzenweg 19 b, D-14163 Berlin, Germany
Martina Schmoock: Wildpark Schwarze Berge GmbH & Co. KG, Am Wildpark 1, D-21224 Rosengarten, Germany
Renke Lühken: Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Bernhardt-Nocht Straße 74, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany
Patrick Wysocki: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Christine Fast: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Michael Lierz: Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Straße 91, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
Rüdiger Korbel: Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Sonnenstraße 18, D-85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany
Thomas W. Vahlenkamp: Institute of Virology (Faculty of veterinary medicine), Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
Martin H. Groschup: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
Ute Ziegler: Friedrich-Loeffler Insitut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, D-17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v11070674
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 7
p. 674

Abstract

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Wild birds play an important role as reservoir hosts and vectors for zoonotic arboviruses and foster their spread. Usutu virus (USUV) has been circulating endemically in Germany since 2011, while West Nile virus (WNV) was first diagnosed in several bird species and horses in 2018. In 2017 and 2018, we screened 1709 live wild and zoo birds with real-time polymerase chain reaction and serological assays. Moreover, organ samples from bird carcasses submitted in 2017 were investigated. Overall, 57 blood samples of the live birds (2017 and 2018), and 100 organ samples of dead birds (2017) were positive for USUV-RNA, while no WNV-RNA-positive sample was found. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the first detection of USUV lineage Europe 2 in Germany and the spread of USUV lineages Europe 3 and Africa 3 towards Northern Germany. USUV antibody prevalence rates were high in Eastern Germany in both years. On the contrary, in Northern Germany, high seroprevalence rates were first detected in 2018, with the first emergence of USUV in this region. Interestingly, high WNV-specific neutralizing antibody titers were observed in resident and short-distance migratory birds in Eastern Germany in 2018, indicating the first signs of a local WNV circulation.

Published in Viruses

ISSN: 1999-4915 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses

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