Crows as WNV Indicators (EID May04)

The May 2004 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases 10 (5), is now available on the
Web at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/index.htm

The role of crows in surveillance is examined from two perspectives
in this issue:

[1]
Corvidae Feather Pulp and West Nile Virus
Detection.
Douglas E. Docherty, Renee Romaine Long, Kathryn M. Griffin, and Emi K. Saito
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no5/03-0825.htm

The authors are all with the National Wildlife Health Center,
Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Abstract: We evaluated cloacal swab, vascular pulp of flight feather,
and kidney and spleen pool samples from carcasses of members of the
family Corvidae as sources of West Nile virus (WNV). The cloacal
swab, kidney and spleen pool, and feather pulp were the source of WNV
in 38%, 43%, and 77%, respectively, of the carcasses.

[2]
Dead Crow Reports and Location of Human West Nile
Virus Cases, Chicago, 2002.
John T. Watson, Roderick C. Jones, Kevin Gibbs, and William Paul
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no5/03-0603.htm

The authors are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), Atlanta, Georgia and the Chicago (Illinois) Department of
Public Health.

Abstract: During the summer and fall of 2002, an epidemic (223 cases)
and epizootic of West Nile virus infections occurred in Chicago.
Retrospective spatial analysis demonstrated that age-adjusted human
case rates were three times higher inside geographic areas with high
early-season crow deaths than outside these areas.

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