Serological Survey for West Nile Virus in Wild Artiodactyls, Southern Moravia (Czech Republic)

Antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) were examined by plaque-reduction neutralization test in the blood sera of 1023 wild artiodactyls: 105 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 148 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 287 fallow deer (Dama dama), 71 mouflons (Ovis musimon), and 412 wild boars (Sus scrofa), sampled in South Moravian district of Breclav (Czech Republic) in the years 1990-2008. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in 5.9% of wild ruminants (4.8% roe deer, 4.1% red deer, 6.3% fallow deer, 9.9% mouflons) and 4.1% of wild boars, with titers ranging between 1:20 and 1:320. The results indicate that WNV has circulated in wild artiodactyls at a variable frequency during the years in the area.