West Nile Virus Infection in Neotropical Raptors

MIGUEL D. SAGGESE; LUIS ADRÍAN DIAZ; AGUSTÍN IE. QUAGLIA; HERNÁN ARGIBAY; MARTA SILVIA CONTIGIANI

Anaheim, California

Encuentro; 77th Annual Meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association; 2011

American Mosquito Control Association

Since its appearance in North America in 1999, birds of prey have been particulary susceptible to West Nile virus (WNV). Species commonly affected included Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), Cooper´s Hawks (Accipiter cooperi) and Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicencis) among wild birds, and Gryfalcons (Falco rusticolus) and Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) in captive collections, but reports exists for almost all species of raptor present in North America. WNV infection is capable of causing fatal disease in most raptors species, usually after a course of several weeks post infection but can also presents as an acute and fatal form. Clinical sings of these birds include altered mental status, head tremors, seizures, paresis and paralysis, retinal degeneration and detachment, anorexia, weight loss, dehydration, anemia and leucocytosis. Recently, WNV has been reporten in South America. WNV infection could have detrimental impact on naive population of threatened or endagered Neotropical birds of prey. Adequate surveillance programs are needed for early detection of this disease. Ornithologist, virologist, and veterinarians may play an important role in the early detection and study of the effect of WNV infection in Neotropical birds of prey. This presentation will discuss ecoepidemiology of WNV and its possible effects on Neotropical raptors.