Abstract：
West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are mosquito-borne flaviviruses that have been associated with neurological diseases in humans and wild birds. Wild bird rescue centers are potential significant hot spots for avian infection surveillance, as recognized in the Italian Integrate National Surveillance Plan for Arboviruses. Here we report the results of a post-mortem active monitoring study conducted from November 2017 to October 2020 on animals hosted in five wild bird rescue centers of Central Italy. Five hundred seventy-six (n = 576) wild birds were tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the presence of WNV or USUV RNA fragments. No birds tested positive for USUV RNA (n = 0; 0.00%). Evidence of WNV RNA (Ct value = 34.36) was found in one bird (n = 1; 0.17%), an adult little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis subsp. ruficollis), that tested WNV positive in December 2019. This study highlights the strategic role of wildlife rescue centers in monitoring both the introduction and circulation of avian emerging zoonotic diseases. In addition, the presence of WNV during the cold season evidences the possible role of birds in overwintering mechanisms in the Italian territory and requires further investigations.
摘要：
西尼罗河病毒（WNV）和乌斯图病毒（USUV）是蚊子传播的黄病毒，与人类和野生鸟类的神经系统疾病有关。野生鸟类救援中心是禽类感染监测的潜在重要热点，正如意大利国家虫媒病毒综合监测计划所承认的那样。在这里，我们报告了2017年11月至2020年10月对意大利中部五个野生鸟类救援中心托管的动物进行的事后主动监测研究的结果。通过实时聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）测试了五百七十六只（n=576）野生鸟类中是否存在WNV或USUVRNA片段。没有鸟类的USUVRNA测试为阳性(n=0;0.00%)。在一只鸟（n=1；0.17％）中发现了WNVRNA的证据（Ct值=34.36），成年小格雷贝（Tachybaptusruficollis亚种。ruficollis)，该公司于2019年12月对WNV进行了阳性检测。这项研究强调了野生动物救援中心在监测鸟类新出现的人畜共患疾病的引入和传播方面的战略作用。此外,在寒冷季节，WNV的存在证明了鸟类在意大利境内越冬机制中的可能作用，需要进一步调查。
