Re: WNV-Seeking Info on Role of Peridomestic Birds in Transmission

I'm posting the same reply I sent to Pro-Med this morning (but not up yet):

See the following in the latest (March 2003) issue of Journal of Emerging
Infectious Diseases:

Experimental Infection of North American Birds with
the New York 1999 Strain of West Nile Virus, N. Komar
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no3/02-0404.htm

Many different birds, domestic and otherwise, were included - including
details on their reservoir potential.

Eleanor Kellon, V.M.D.

----- Original Message -----
From: Environmental Risk Analysis Program <envrisk@cornell.edu>
To: WESTNILEVIRUS-L <WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2003 3:09 PM
Subject: WNV-Seeking Info on Role of Peridomestic Birds in Transmission

> Forwarded from ProMED-mail <http://www.promedmail.org>, posting ID #
> 20030307.0561.
>
> Subject: West Nile Virus: Possible Role of Peridomestic Birds in
Transmission?
> Date: Wed 5 Mar 2003
> From: Steve Kells <skells@abellgroup.com>
>
> I was wondering if anyone was evaluating the influence of
> peridomestic bird populations, their influence as a West Nile virus
> (WNV) reservoir, and their influence on the transmission risk to
> humans. Most information concerning birds and WNV focuses on the
> Corvids, which provide an end-point indicator for WNV activity. I do
> not see Corvid species as the reservoir species for WNV; instead I am
> interested in the numerous species which may become viremic, but
> asymptomatic, as the principal reservoir. The main species I am
> interested in (/concerned about) are sparrows (mixed species),
> starlings, and pigeons. These species exhibit particular behaviors in
> urban situations that "may" provide WNV amplification /transmission
> in discrete foci (or at least the reason why foci appear).
>
> All 3 birds tend to use communal night roosts that could provide a
> concentrated population for mosquitoes (vectors) to target. From
> these night roosts, birds will disperse (in groups) to areas where
> food is prevalent, particularly toward residential areas where there
> is an abundance of: garbage, insects associated with the landscape,
> and (most important) bird feeders. During early morning foraging,
> they will be targets for mosquito feeding around these sites,
> allowing mosquitoes in residential areas to become infected with WNV.
> (Or perhaps the reverse - birds pick up the virus during foraging
> runs, making mosquito activity around night roosts a principal method
> of amplification).
>
> Based on these assumptions, I am making additional recommendations
> (to municipalities I am working with) to reduce the risk of
> amplification /spread to residential areas (or at least to gain
> information).
>
> 1. Reduce the attractiveness of areas to gregarious bird species
> (particularly sparrows): people should consider removing bird feeders
> or changing feeders and food to attract less gregarious species.
>
> 2. Identifiable sites of night roosts should have additional adult
> mosquito monitoring. In future years, communal night roosts may be a
> sensitive site for detecting WNV activity, particularly when (if) we
> start to see a degradation in the sensitivity of dead Corvid
> surveillance.
>
> Other activities may be considered pending the development of
> information on these bird species and WNV transmission.
>
> A. If justified by monitoring, local (small-scale) area adulticiding
> around large night roosts may provide a focused method for damaging
> WNV amplification, earlier in the season.
>
> B. Perhaps a more aggressive strategy should be considered for
> reducing/dispersing starling and sparrow activity in urban areas.
>
> I am interested in hearing from anyone who may have additional
information.
>
> --
> Dr. Stephen A. Kells, B.C.E.
> Technical Director
> Abell Pest Control, Inc.
> <skells@abellgroup.com>
>
> --
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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