Evidence of West Nile Virus Circulation in Horses and Dogs in Libya

Kholoud Khalid Ben-Mostafa; Giovanni Savini; Annapia Di Gennaro; Liana Teodori; Alessandra Leone; Federica Monaco; Mohammed Masoud A. Alaoqib; Abdunnabi A. Rayes; Abdunaser Dayhum; Ibrahim Eldaghayes

doi:10.3390/pathogens13010041

Pathogens (Dec 2023)

Evidence of West Nile Virus Circulation in Horses and Dogs in Libya

Kholoud Khalid Ben-Mostafa,
Giovanni Savini,
Annapia Di Gennaro,
Liana Teodori,
Alessandra Leone,
Federica Monaco,
Mohammed Masoud A. Alaoqib,
Abdunnabi A. Rayes,
Abdunaser Dayhum,
Ibrahim Eldaghayes

Affiliations

Kholoud Khalid Ben-Mostafa: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli P.O. Box 13662, Libya
Giovanni Savini: Department of Virology and Tissue Culture, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Annapia Di Gennaro: Department of Virology and Tissue Culture, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Liana Teodori: Department of Virology and Tissue Culture, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Alessandra Leone: Department of Virology and Tissue Culture, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Federica Monaco: Department of Virology and Tissue Culture, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Mohammed Masoud A. Alaoqib: Department of Internal and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Albaida P.O. Box 919, Libya
Abdunnabi A. Rayes: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli P.O. Box 13932, Libya
Abdunaser Dayhum: Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli P.O. Box 13662, Libya
Ibrahim Eldaghayes: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli P.O. Box 13662, Libya

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010041
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 1
p. 41

Abstract

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West Nile virus (WNV) is a globally significant mosquito-borne Flavivirus that causes West Nile disease (WND). In Libya, evidence of WNV circulation has been reported in humans but never in animals. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of WNV infection in horses and dogs in Libya. In total, 574 and 63 serum samples were collected from apparently healthy, unvaccinated horses and dogs, respectively, between 2016 and 2019. A commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) kit was initially used to test the collected samples for the presence of WNV Ig-G antibodies. Positive and doubtful sera were also tested using a more specific virus neutralisation assay to confirm whether the ELISA-positive results were due to WNV or other Flavivirus antibodies. The seroprevalence of WNV IgG antibodies according to ELISA was 13.2% out of 574 of total horses’ samples and 30.2% out of 63 of total dogs’ samples. The virus neutralisation test (VNT) confirmed that 10.8% (62/574) and 27% (17/63) were positive for WNV-neutralising titres ranging from 1:10 to 1:640. Univariable analysis using chi-square tests was conducted to measure the statistical significance of the association between the hypothesized risk factors including city, sex, breed, and age group and were then analyzed using the subsequent multivariable logistic regression model for horse samples. Age group was found to be the only significant risk factor in this study. The results of the present study provide new evidence about WNV circulation in Libya.

Published in Pathogens

ISSN: 2076-0817 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens

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