%0 Journal Article
%A Williams, Richard Alexander John
%A Criollo Valencia, Hillary A.
%A López Márquez, Irene
%A González González, Fernando
%A Llorente, Francisco
%A Jiménez Clavero, Miguel Ángel
%A Busquets, Núria
%A Mateo Barrientos, Marta
%A Ortiz Díez, Gustavo
%A Ayllón Santiago, Tania
%T West Nile Virus Seroprevalence in Wild Birds and Equines in Madrid Province, Spain
%D 2024
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/107280
%X Simple Summary: West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus that circulates among birds and mosquitoes and can cause outbreaks in people and horses, sometimes leading to serious brain-related illness and death. This study aimed to investigate WNV circulation in birds and horses in Madrid, Spain. Through serological testing (cELISA), a proportion of birds were positive for WNV antibodies, indicating potential exposure. Four birds and one horse were confirmed positive for WNV antibodies with a second test, while four other birds showed antibodies to an undetermined flavivirus. Because birds positive for WNV antibodies were adults, they might have been exposed elsewhere. The horse had previously lived in a WNV endemic zone. The birds positive for flavivirus included two young birds that had not traveled outside Madrid. The presence of antibodies in two juvenile birds that could hardly fly suggests local circulation of flavivirus in birds in Madrid. The study addresses the potential circulation of WNV or related flaviviruses in birds in Madrid, emphasizing the need for increased surveillance to understand transmission dynamics and the principal species involved. Given the growing incidence and spread of WNV in Spain, continued research is vital for risk assessment and implementing effective control measures.
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