Evaluation of NS4A, NS4B, NS5 and 3'UTR Genetic Determinants of WNV Lineage 1 Virulence in Birds and Mammals.

ABSTRACT: West Nile virus (WNV) is amplified in an enzootic cycle involving birds as amplifying hosts. Because they do not develop high levels of viremia, humans and horses are considered to be dead-end hosts. Mosquitoes, especially from the Culex genus, are vectors responsible for transmission between hosts. Consequently, understanding WNV epidemiology and infection requires comparative and integrated analyses in bird, mammalian, and insect hosts. So far, markers of WNV virulence have mainly been determined in mammalian model organisms (essentially mice), while data in avian models are still missing. WNV Israel 1998 (IS98) is a highly virulent strain that is closely genetically related to the strain introduced into North America in 1999, NY99 (genomic sequence homology > 99%). The latter pro

SUBMITTER: Fiacre L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10222181 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature