Orthoflavivirus surveillance in the Netherlands: Insights from a serosurvey in horses & dogs and a questionnaire among horse owners

IF 2.4 2区农林科学 Q3 INFECTIOUS DISEASES Zoonoses and Public Health Pub Date : 2024-07-26 DOI:10.1111/zph.13171

Kiki Streng, Renate W. Hakze-van der Honing, Heather Graham, Sophie van Oort, Pauline A. de Best, Ayat Abourashed, Wim H. M. van der Poel

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Abstract

Aims

Zoonotic arboviruses (arthropod-borne) of the Orthoflavivirus genus, such as West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV) and Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), are emerging in Northwestern Europe and pose a threat to both human and animal health. In the Netherlands, passive symptomatic surveillance (notification of clinical cases) in horses is one of the main pillars for the early detection of WNV. For such passive surveillance to work properly, horse owners and veterinarians need to recognize symptoms and report suspected cases to the authorities. Currently, little is known about the seroprevalence of orthoflaviviruses in domestic animals in the Netherlands. Therefore, this study aims at identifying the seroprevalence of WNV and USUV in horses and dogs in the Netherlands. Additionally, this study seeks to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of Dutch horse owners towards mosquito-borne viruses.

Methods and Results

A cross-sectional serosurvey in horses and dogs was conducted between May 2021 and May 2022. Serum samples were screened using an ELISA and doubtful and positive samples were confirmed by Virus Neutralization Tests for WNV, USUV and TBEV. A validated questionnaire, the MosquitoWise survey, was used to assess the knowledge and perceptions of Dutch horse owners towards mosquito-borne viruses between July and October 2022. The serosurvey revealed a low seroprevalence for WNV in horses and no WNV-positive dogs were found. Similarly, a low USUV seroprevalence was found in dogs. The MosquitoWise survey revealed a high knowledge level for horse owners and high awareness of WNV vaccination but a more limited intent to vaccinate.

Conclusions

The low seroprevalences of WNV and USUV indicate many dogs and horses remain susceptible, offering opportunities for trend analysis and surveillance. However, despite multiple recent detections of WNV, USUV, and TBEV in humans, the role of dogs and horses in early detection of human cases is debatable. High awareness among horse owners and the absence of detected equine WNV cases highlight this uncertainty. Continued surveillance is crucial for detecting increased virus circulation and protecting both animal and human health.

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荷兰的正黄病毒监测：从马和狗的血清调查以及马主问卷中获得的启示。

目的：西尼罗河病毒（WNV）、乌苏图病毒（USUV）和蜱传脑炎病毒（TBEV）等正黄病毒属的人畜共患虫媒病毒（节肢动物传播）正在西北欧出现，并对人类和动物健康构成威胁。在荷兰，马匹的被动症状监测（临床病例通报）是早期发现 WNV 的主要支柱之一。要使这种被动监测正常发挥作用，马主和兽医需要识别症状并向当局报告疑似病例。目前，人们对荷兰家畜的正黄病毒血清流行率知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在确定荷兰马和狗的 WNV 和 USUV 血清流行率。此外，本研究还试图评估荷兰马主对蚊媒病毒的了解和看法：在 2021 年 5 月至 2022 年 5 月期间对马和狗进行了横断面血清调查。使用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）对血清样本进行筛查，并通过病毒中和试验（WNV、USUV 和 TBEV）对可疑样本和阳性样本进行确认。2022 年 7 月至 10 月期间，使用经过验证的调查问卷 "MosquitoWise "来评估荷兰马主对蚊媒病毒的了解和看法。血清调查显示，马匹的 WNV 血清阳性率较低，没有发现 WNV 阳性的狗。同样，狗的 USUV 血清阳性率也很低。MosquitoWise 调查显示，马主的知识水平较高，对接种 WNV 疫苗的意识较强，但接种疫苗的意向较为有限：WNV和USUV的低血清流行率表明许多狗和马仍然是易感人群，这为趋势分析和监测提供了机会。然而，尽管最近在人类中多次检测到 WNV、USUV 和 TBEV，但狗和马在人类病例早期检测中的作用仍有待商榷。马主的高度警觉性和马WNV病例的缺失凸显了这一不确定性。持续监测对于检测病毒传播的增加以及保护动物和人类健康至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Zoonoses and Public Health 医学-传染病学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

4.20%

发文量

115

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Zoonoses and Public Health brings together veterinary and human health researchers and policy-makers by providing a venue for publishing integrated and global approaches to zoonoses and public health. The Editors will consider papers that focus on timely collaborative and multi-disciplinary research in zoonoses and public health. This journal provides rapid publication of original papers, reviews, and potential discussion papers embracing this collaborative spirit. Papers should advance the scientific knowledge of the sources, transmission, prevention and control of zoonoses and be authored by scientists with expertise in areas such as microbiology, virology, parasitology and epidemiology. Articles that incorporate recent data into new methods, applications, or approaches (e.g. statistical modeling) which enhance public health are strongly encouraged.