Meeting Abstract

P1-256  Friday, Jan. 4 15:30 – 17:30  Patterns of Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in Clinic-Admitted Raptor Species in Central Illinois PULVER, O*; WILCOXEN , TE; SEITZ, J; NUZZO , JT; Millikin University ; Millikin University ; Illinois Raptor Center; Illinois Raptor Center twilcoxen@millikin.edu

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a virus that is commonly found in avian species in the Midwest. WNV commonly follows a bird-mosquito-bird transmission pattern, with birds serving as amplifying hosts. Plasma samples from raptor species that were admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in Central Illinois were analyzed for each immunoglobulin Y (IgY) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against WNV using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In all, 270 birds from seven different raptor species were tested for IgY and 175 birds from seven different raptor species were tested for IgM. Data were then analyzed for possible differences in patterns of infection between years, among species, and among other studies. There were significant differences in seroprevalence among species. In addition, when compared to a study in Wisconsin, our study had a much higher prevalence in all species that were tested, which may be a product of a longer active season for vectors in Central Illinois.