SEROLOGIC EVIDENCE OF EXPOSURE OF WILD MAMMALS TO FLAVIVIRUSES IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN UNITED STATES

J. JEFFREY ROOT National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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JEFFREY S. HALL National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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ROBERT G. MCLEAN National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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NICOLE L. MARLENEE National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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BARRY J. BEATY National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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JUSTIN GANSOWSKI National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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LARRY CLARK National Wildlife Research Center, USDA/APHIS/WS, Fort Collins, Colorado; Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; New York Wildlife Services, USDA, Castleton, New York

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Serosurveys were conducted to obtain flavivirus and West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence data from mammals. Sera from 513 small- and medium-sized mammals collected during late summer and fall 2003 from Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were screened for flavivirus-specific antibodies. Sera samples containing antibody to flaviviruses were screened for WNV-specific antibodies by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and confirmed with plaque reduction neutralization tests. Prevalence of WNV antibodies among study sites ranged from 0% to 42.8% among the mammal communities sampled. High prevalence rates for WNV were noted among raccoons (100%, with a very small sample size, N = 2), Virginia opossums (50.0%), fox squirrels (49.1%), and eastern gray squirrels (48.3%). The high WNV antibody prevalence noted for tree squirrels, the peri-domestic tendencies of several of these species, and their ease of observation could make these species useful sentinels for monitoring WNV activity within urban communities.

Author Notes

Reprint requests: Dr. Larry Clark, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521.
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