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Coinfection of two arboviruses (VNO and VESL) in equids of the "Abras de mantequilla" wetland, Ecuador

Abstract:

West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) are Flavirirus arboviruses with ecological and epidemiological activity and are responsible for mild febrile illnesses and severe cases associated with meningitis and encephalitis in horses and humans. Objective: To determine the presence of IgM antibodies against WNV and SLEV in horses of 5 selected areas (La Piedad, La Luz, Los Playones, Jobo and Mapancillo) of the "Abras de Mantequilla" wetland in Ecuador. Methods: A descriptive, prospective and cross-sectional study was carried out between January and December 2012. Results: From a total of 412 samples of equine blood serum, analyzed by the blocking ELISA method at the National Institute of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine "LIP" of Guayaquil, 52 reactive samples (12.6%) were found against WNV, the latter were confirmed by the NTRP technique at the JM Vanella Institute of the University of Córdoba (Argentina), yielding 43 positive samples (10, 4%) for WNV. Twelve reactive samples (2.9%) were obtained for the antibodies determined against SLEV, and 8 samples (1.9%) were confirmed by the above methods. Conclusions: It is concluded that co-infection between these two viruses is evident in the equines studied, which makes the presence of these viruses in the study sites remarkable, which is a problem of wildlife, animal health and could become a Serious public health problem, because of the risk of being transmitted to the inhabitants of the sector and to produce cases of encephalitis.