Zoi Athanasakopoulou, Marina Sofia, Vassilis Skampardonis, Alexios Giannakopoulos, Periklis Birtsas, Konstantinos Tsolakos, Vassiliki Spyrou, Dimitris C Chatzopoulos, Maria Satra, Vassilis Diamantopoulos, Spyridoula Mpellou, Dimitrios Galamatis, Vasileios G Papatsiros, Charalambos Billinis
West Nile virus (WNV), a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus, has recently caused human outbreaks in Europe, including Greece. Its transmission cycle in nature includes wild birds as amplifying hosts and ornithophilic mosquito vectors. The aim of this study was to assess WNV circulation among wild birds from two regions of Greece, Peloponnese and Western Greece, during 2022. To this end, a total of 511 birds belonging to 37 different species were sampled and molecularly screened. WNV RNA was detected from February to November in a total of 71 wild birds of nine species originating from both investigated regions...
November 18, 2023: Veterinary Sciences