Viruses (Apr 2020)
West Nile Virus Epidemic in Germany Triggered by Epizootic Emergence, 2019
- Ute Ziegler,
- Pauline Dianne Santos,
- Martin H. Groschup,
- Carolin Hattendorf,
- Martin Eiden,
- Dirk Höper,
- Philip Eisermann,
- Markus Keller,
- Friederike Michel,
- Robert Klopfleisch,
- Kerstin Müller,
- Doreen Werner,
- Helge Kampen,
- Martin Beer,
- Christina Frank,
- Raskit Lachmann,
- Birke Andrea Tews,
- Claudia Wylezich,
- Monika Rinder,
- Lars Lachmann,
- Thomas Grünewald,
- Claudia A. Szentiks,
- Michael Sieg,
- Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit,
- Daniel Cadar,
- Renke Lühken
Affiliations
- Ute Ziegler
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Pauline Dianne Santos
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Martin H. Groschup
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Carolin Hattendorf
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Martin Eiden
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Dirk Höper
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Philip Eisermann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Markus Keller
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Friederike Michel
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Robert Klopfleisch
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universitat Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
- Kerstin Müller
- Small Animal Clinic, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
- Doreen Werner
- Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
- Helge Kampen
- Institute of Infectiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Christina Frank
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Raskit Lachmann
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Birke Andrea Tews
- Institute of Infectiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Claudia Wylezich
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- Monika Rinder
- Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Lars Lachmann
- Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Thomas Grünewald
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Clinic, Klinikum Chemnitz, 09116 Chemnitz, Germany
- Claudia A. Szentiks
- Leibniz-Institute for Zoo- and Wildlife Research (IZW), 10315 Berlin, Germany
- Michael Sieg
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Daniel Cadar
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v12040448
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12,
no. 4
p. 448
Abstract
One year after the first autochthonous transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) to birds and horses in Germany, an epizootic emergence of WNV was again observed in 2019. The number of infected birds and horses was considerably higher compared to 2018 (12 birds, two horses), resulting in the observation of the first WNV epidemy in Germany: 76 cases in birds, 36 in horses and five confirmed mosquito-borne, autochthonous human cases. We demonstrated that Germany experienced several WNV introduction events and that strains of a distinct group (Eastern German WNV clade), which was introduced to Germany as a single introduction event, dominated mosquito, birds, horse and human-related virus variants in 2018 and 2019. Virus strains in this clade are characterized by a specific-Lys2114Arg mutation, which might lead to an increase in viral fitness. Extraordinary high temperatures in 2018/2019 allowed a low extrinsic incubation period (EIP), which drove the epizootic emergence and, in the end, most likely triggered the 2019 epidemic. Spatiotemporal EIP values correlated with the geographical WNV incidence. This study highlights the risk of a further spread in Germany in the next years with additional human WNV infections. Thus, surveillance of birds is essential to provide an early epidemic warning and thus, initiate targeted control measures.
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