Exposure and Carriage of West Nile Virus in feathered Iberian Scavengers

Sammanfattning: Scavenging bird of prey have been abundant throughout the Mediterranean region for years, establishing a food acquisition relationship with human activities, their characteristics make them especially suitable for the recognition of dangerous environmental conditions. The West Nile Virus (WNV) considered the most widespread arbovirus has been previously discovered in our 3 species of studio. The analyses from feather follicles and serum samples obtain from different regions in Spain shown a higher seroprevalence against West Nile virus or cross-reacting flaviviruses in the northern part of the country and in the Canary archipelago. Our results showed a general seroprevalence of 19.8% (34 out of 172), a prevalence of 19,8% in Egyptian vultures, a prevalence of 27.1% (13 out of 48) in Griffon vultures and no prevalence in Cinereous vultures. Differences were observed for the body condition off Griffon and Egyptian vultures when anthropized and not anthropized areas were compared, being significantly worse in anthropized areas for Griffon vultures and significantly better for Egyptian vultures. The exposure to the virus of the nestlings increased with the age, showing a higher tend in Egyptian vultures than in Griffon vultures. Our results confirm the circulation and a higher seroprevalence of West Nile virus or cross-reacting flaviviruses than in previous studies.