Equine Cases, Cuba

Excerpted from ProMED-mail, Feb 22 2005, Id 20050222.0567

[see also WestNileVirus-L Feb 11 posting--Birds: Range Expansion,
Species Affected, Migration, Transmission for information on WNV
surveillance and detection in Cuba and list at end of this email of
possibly pertinent ProMED posts since 2003.]

Source: Office International des Epizooties (OIE), Animal Health
Information Department <information.dept@oie.int>
Disease Information 2005; 18(7): 18 Feb
<http://www.oie.int/eng/info/hebdo/a_current.htm#Sec4>
Translation of information dated 16 Feb 2005 from Dr Emerio F Serrano
Ramirez, director general of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine,
Ministry of Agriculture, Havana:

Reason for immediate notification: an emerging disease with significant
morbidity or mortality, or zoonotic potential.
Date of 1st confirmation of the event: 10 Dec 2004.
Nature of diagnosis: laboratory. Animals testing positive for West Nile
  fever virus were detected within the framework of the surveillance
programme for West Nile fever. There have been no clinical signs.

1. 1st administrative division / Lower administrative division / Type
of epidemiological unit / Species
Havana City / Arroyo Naranjo / farm / equine susceptible / cases /
deaths / destroyed / slaughtered
9 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0

2. 1st administrative division / Lower administrative division / Type
of epidemiological unit / Species
Havana City / Cotorro / farm / equine susceptible / cases / deaths /
destroyed / slaughtered
8 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0

3. 1st administrative division / Lower administrative division / Type
of epidemiological unit / Species
Havana City / Guanabacoa / farm / equine susceptible / cases / deaths /
destroyed / slaughtered
15 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0

4. 1st administrative division / Lower administrative division / Type
of epidemiological unit / Species
Havana City / Alquizar / farm / equ susceptible / cases / deaths /
destroyed / slaughtered
5 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0

Description of affected population: the population sampled consisted of
210 animals, out of which 5 animals (3 adults and 2 young animals) gave
positive results. These were mixed-breed working animals.

Diagnosis:
Immunohistochemical tests and virus neutralisation tests carried out at
the Virology Department, Pedro Kouri Institute for Tropical
Medicine(Pan-American Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the
Study of Viral Diseases), Havana City on 10 Dec 2004 were positive.
Virus neutralisation tests at the National Microbiology Laboratory,
Winnipeg, Canada on 20 Jan 2005 were also positive.

Origin of infection: unknown or inconclusive.
Control measures to be undertaken: control of arthropods.
Treatment of affected animals: no.
Other details/comments:
- Active surveillance has been increased in birds and equids in the
affected zones and neighbouring zones.
- The inhabitants in the area have been informed.

[Comment from ProMED-mail moderator PC: This is the 2nd OIE report this
month from Cuba, the previous one being on rabbit hemorrhagic disease.
Probably the most interesting bit of information here is the
seroprevalence of 10.6 per cent and the lack of deaths or clinical
signs. A previous report referenced below
(20050106.0033) summarizes the results from a serosurvey of healthy
horses on Guadeloupe in 2002. In 6 months, the prevalence increased
from 2.8 to 50
per cent, so if this is a recent outbreak we might expect more horses
to seroconvert. It would be important to confirm if there were actually
no clinical signs in any of the outbreak horses since the emergence of
the disease in Cuba, or if the horses just weren't showing signs at the
time of the serosurveillance. The report seems to indicate that "there
have been no clinical signs". If accurate, then it would imply that a
newly emerged WNV caused little or no illness in equines.
The disease has been reported in 3 humans in Cuba recently and there is
evidence of West Nile virus in birds in Cuba from 2004.- Mod.PC]

[see also:
West Nile virus, birds - Cuba: (2004) (02) 20050208.0429
West Nile virus, birds - Cuba: 2004 20050207.0419
West Nile virus, humans, equines - Cuba 20050202.0355
West Nile virus update 2005 - Western Hemisphere (01) 20050106.0033
West Nile virus update 2004 - Western Hemisphere (29) 20041231.3456
West Nile virus update 2004 - Western Hemisphere (... 20040730.2073
West Nile virus, birds - Puerto Rico (Ceiba) 20040614.1599
West Nile virus - Caribbean Islands (02) 20031017.2619
West Nile virus - Caribbean Islands 20031011.2560
West Nile virus, equines - El Salvador 20030504.1116]

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Received on Tue Feb 22 15:53:00 2005