Serological Signs of West Nile Virus Infection in Horse Serum Samples Collected for Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Screening in the Northeastern Turkey: Traces of Past

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is an important arthropod-borne pathogen and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations in many parts of the world. The presence of WNV in Turkey has been reported in various studies during the last 15 years. In this study, 1500 horse serum samples collected from Ardahan Province in Northeastern Turkey were screened by using a virus neutralization test against WNV and then positives were confirmed by a plaque reduction test-90 (PRNT90). The overall seropositivity was 0.13% (2/1500), with neutralizing antibody titers determined to be 1/40 and 1/80. These findings suggest that some of horses in Ardahan had been exposed to WNV and also indicates the evidence of WNV circulation in the Northeastern Turkey. © 2018 PVJ. All rights reserved