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Published Date: 2010-08-28 11:00:04
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus, equine - Greece: (MC), OIE
Archive Number: 20100828.3058

WEST NILE VIRUS, EQUINE - GREECE: (CENTRAL MACEDONIA), OIE
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Date: Fri 27 Aug 2010
Source: OIE, WAHID (World Animal Health Information Database), weekly
disease information 2010; 23(35) [edited]
<http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=9642>

West Nile Fever, Greece
-----------------------
Information received on (and dated) 27 Aug 2010 from Mr Spiros
Doudounakis, Head, Department of Infectious Diseases, Directorate
General of Veterinary Services, Animal Health Directorate, Department
of Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Athens, Greece

Summary
Report type: immediate notification
Start date: 16 Aug 2010
Date of 1st confirmation of the event: 23 Aug 2010
Report date: 27 Aug 2010
Date submitted to OIE: 27 Aug 2010
Reason for notification: 1st occurrence of a listed disease
Manifestation of disease: clinical disease
Causal agent: West Nile virus
Nature of diagnosis: clinical, laboratory (basic)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country

New outbreaks
Outbreak 1: Thessaloniki 1, [Central Macedonia]
Date of start of the outbreak: 16 Aug 2010
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 2
Cases: 2
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Outbreak 2: Thessaloniki 4, [Central Macedonia]
Date of start of the outbreak 22 Aug 2010
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 1
Cases: 1
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Outbreak 3: Thessaloniki 2, [Central Macedonia]
Date of start of the outbreak: 22 Aug 2010
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 1
Cases: 1
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Outbreak 4: Thessaloniki 3, [Central Macedonia]
Date of start of the outbreak: 22 Aug 2010
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 13
Cases: 1
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Outbreak 5: Thessaloniki 5, [Central Macedonia]
Date of start of the outbreak: 22 Aug 2010
Outbreak status: continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: farm
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 1
Cases: 1
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 5
Species: Equidae
Susceptible: 18
Cases: 6
Deaths: 0
Destroyed: 0
Slaughtered: 0

Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection: unknown or inconclusive

Control measures
Measures applied: movement control inside the country; no
vaccination; treatment of affected animals (supportive treatment
(dexamethazone, furosemide, neurobion, NSAID))
Measures to be applied: no other measures

Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type: Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious
Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki (local laboratory)
Species: Equidae
Test: competitive ELISA (c-ELISA)
Test date: 23 Aug 2010
Result: positive

Laboratory name and type: Center of Athens Veterinary Institutes,
Institute of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Virology Department
(national laboratory)
Species: Equidae
Test: IgM-capture ELISA
Test date: 24 Aug 2010
Result: positive

Future reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
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[The occurrence of equine cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in
the area where 114 human cases have occurred is not surprising. Dr
Paul Reiter pointed out that, "A recent serosurvey of horses in a
large area in eastern Romania (also associated with the EDEN
project), approximately 30 percent were seropositive but there are no
reports of clinical cases" (see ProMED-mail archive no.
20100824.2972). The occurrence of clinical equine cases in the
current Greek outbreak is another indication that virulence of WNV
strains for a given vertebrae species may vary in time and space. Dr
Jimenez pointed out in his remarks that virulence of WNV strains from
Morocco and Spain differed in virulence (see ProMED-mail archive no.
20100826.3022). One hopes that WNV from the Greek outbreak will be
isolated for comparative genetic and pathogenesis studies. - Mod.TY]

[This report confirms that horses as well as humans are becoming
infected with some type of current circulating West Nile Virus in
Macedonia. In the past 2 years, previous OIE reports have implicated
both horses and wild birds, particularly hawks. In the last few
years, Austria has had outbreaks in wild birds in 2008 and 2009;
Hungary in wild birds in 2008 and 2009; and Spain had outbreaks in
wild birds in 2009. Italy had a very large outbreak of West Nile
Virus in horses in both 2008 (206 farms) and 2009 (119 farms). Cyprus
and Romania both identified the presence of the virus but provided
little data about distribution of the virus in various species and
the extent of the outbreak. So, again, comparative genetic and
pathogenic studies would help to shed additional light on the
epidemiology of this particular outbreak. - Mod.PC]

[A map showing the location of Greek Central Macedonia can be
accessed at <http://www.mlahanas.de/Greece/Regions/CentralMacedonia.html>.
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Greece can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/026S>. - Mod.TY]

West Nile virus - Netherlands ex Israel 20100827.3049
Encephalitis - Greece (13): (MC) WNV conf. 20100827.3048
Encephalitis - Greece (12): (MC) WNV 20100827.3036
Encephalitis - Greece (11): (MC) WNV, comment 20100826.3022
Encephalitis - Greece (10): (MC) WNV, comment 20100824.2972
Encephalitis - Greece (09): (MC) WNV conf. 20100823.2943
Encephalitis - Greece (08): (MC) WNV conf. 20100821.2922
Encephalitis - Greece (07): (MC) WNV conf. 20100819.2889
Encephalitis - Greece (06): (MC) WNV conf. 20100816.2843
Encephalitis - Greece (05): (MC) WNV conf 20100815.2811
Encephalitis - Greece (04): (MC) WNV conf 20100810.2742
Encephalitis - Greece (03): (MC) WNV conf 20100810.2727
Encephalitis - Greece (02): (MC) WNV susp 20100809.2718
Encephalitis - Greece: (MC), WNV susp., RFI 20100806.2672
West Nile virus - Israel 20100802.2598
West Nile virus - Italy (03): (LM) further clarification 20100524.1725
West Nile virus - Italy (02): (LM) clarification 20100521.1686
West Nile virus - Italy: (LM) 20100520.1670
...................................sb/ty/pc/mj/mpp

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