Nucleic Acid Preservation Card Surveillance Is Effective for Monitoring Arbovirus Transmission on Crocodile Farms and Provides a One Health Benefit to Northern Australia.

ABSTRACT: The Kunjin strain of West Nile virus (WNV_KUN) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that can infect farmed saltwater crocodiles in Australia and cause skin lesions that devalue the hides of harvested animals. We implemented a surveillance system using honey-baited nucleic acid preservation cards to monitor WNV_KUN and another endemic flavivirus pathogen, Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), on crocodile farms in northern Australia. The traps were set between February 2018 and July 2020 on three crocodile farms in Darwin (Northern Territory) and one in Cairns (North Queensland) at fortnightly intervals with reduced trapping during the winter months. WNV_KUN RNA was detected on all three crocodile farms near Darwin, predominantly between March and May of eac

SUBMITTER: Kurucz N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9227548 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature