How Do I Know If My Horse Has WNV?
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Steps
and Tests to Confirm
There are
several steps that can be undertaken to confirm WNV in a suspected
animal or
herd:
1.
The first
is
simply based on clinical presentation of signs [PLEASE GO
HERE] in horses living or
originating from areas where “WN virus has been
confirmed in the
current calendar year in mosquitoes, birds, humans, or horses” [4].
2.
WNV antibody
specific
IgM
and IgG capture ELISA tests and the plaque reduction
neutralisation test (PRNT) have been preferred for
serological diagnosis and surveillance during
recent
outbreaks
of WNV fever [6].
3.
Other
means of confirmation included postmortem
detection of WN virus by polymerase
chain reaction, culture, and immunohistochemistry in tissues of the
CNS.
The
method of choice for WN virus nucleic acid in equine tissue is the
reverse
transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction because of exquisite
sensitivity
of this method and the relatively low viral load in equine tissues [4].
4. Ancillary
diagnostic testing should
include complete blood count, serum
biochemistry
analysis, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. For the most
part,
complete blood count and serumbiochemistry profiles of WNV
horses
are
normal. Horses may present with a mild absolute lymphopenia.
Horses can have elevated muscle enzymes
secondary to trauma and prolonged periods of recumbency. CSF cell
counts
protein can be elevated [4].