Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Rapid Antigen-Capture Assay To Detect West Nile Virus in Dead Corvids

2003; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Volume: 9; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3201/eid0911.030318

1080-6059

L. Robbin Lindsay, I. Barker, G P Nayar, Michael Drebot, Sharon Calvin, Cherie Scammell, Cheryl Sachvie, Tracy Scammell La Fleur, Antonia Dibernardo, Maya Andonova, Harvey Artsob,

Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

Abstract The utility of the VecTest antigen-capture assay to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in field-collected dead corvids was evaluated in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada, in 2001 and 2002. Swabs were taken from the oropharynx, cloaca, or both of 109 American Crows, 31 Blue Jays, 6 Common Ravens, and 4 Black-billed Magpies from Manitoba, and 255 American Crows and 28 Blue Jays from Ontario. The sensitivity and specificity of the antigen-capture assay were greatest for samples from American Crows; oropharyngeal swabs were more sensitive than cloacal swabs, and interlaboratory variation in the results was minimal. The sensitivity and specificity of the VecTest using oropharyngeal swabs from crows were 83.9% and 93.6%, respectively, for Manitoba samples and 83.3% and 95.8%, respectively, for Ontario birds. The VecTest antigen-capture assay on oropharyngeal secretions from crows is a reliable and rapid diagnostic test that appears suitable for incorporation into a WNV surveillance program.