The epidemic West Nile virus strain in Greece was a recent introduction.
| Title | The epidemic West Nile virus strain in Greece was a recent introduction. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2013 |
| Authors | Dimou, V., Gerou S., & Papa A. |
| Journal | Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pagination | 719-22 |
| Date Published | 2013 Oct |
| ISSN | 1557-7759 |
| Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antibodies, Viral, Child, Child, Preschool, Disease Outbreaks, Female, Greece, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Public Health, Retrospective Studies, Seroepidemiologic Studies, West Nile Fever, West Nile virus, Young Adult |
| Abstract | To estimate the prevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in residents of northern Greece before the large outbreak of 2010, stored serum samples collected during 2003-2004 from 626 apparently healthy residents of northern Greece were tested. A seroprevalence of 0.62% was detected, with no statistically significant differences among the various prefectures, gender, and age groups, suggesting that the lineage 2 WNV strain that caused the outbreaks for 3 consecutive years was introduced recently. Data from the present study can be used as a threshold in future comparisons with respective data after the outbreaks to estimate and assess the public health impact, as well as for WNV evolutionary studies. |
| DOI | 10.1089/vbz.2013.1318 |
| Alternate Journal | Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. |
| PubMed ID | 23919603 |
