Evidence of the first clinical case of equine neuroinvasive West Nile Disease in Serbia, 2018
View/ Open
Date
2019Author
Medić, Strahinja
Lazić, Sava
Petrović, Tamaš
Petrić, Dušan
Samojlović, Milena
Lazić, Gospava
Lupulović, Diana
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
During July 2018, the first clinical case of neurological West Nile virus (WNV) infection
was reported in a Belgian sports mare in Belgrade, Serbia. Typical symptoms, such as
hypersensitive skin reaction, disorientation, weakness, ataxia and the loss of equilibrium
were reported. Detection of WNV IgM antibodies by commercial ELISA in the serum
samples of the diseased mare strongly indicated acute infection. The ELISA positive
results were confirmed by VNT. Hematological and biochemical parameters were in
the reference range. The only finding was a minor lymphopenia. WNV RNA was not
detected by RT-qPCR in the blood sample extracted seven days after the disease had
broken out. The horse improved clinically in two weeks while other horses at the same
premises remained asymptomatic. The clinical, serological, biochemical and molecular
analyses applied confirmed the first clinical case of neuroinvasive WNV infection in
horses in Serbia. The West Nile virus has been circulating in Serbia in the last decade
in mosquitoes, birds, and horses, but no evidence of equine WNV clinical cases were
registered so far.