West nile virus overview

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

West Nile virus (WNV) is a virus of the family Flaviviridae; part of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, and domestic rabbits. The main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Image reconstructions and cryoelectron microscopy reveal a 45-50 nm virion covered with a relatively smooth protein surface. This structure is similar to the dengue fever virus; both belong to the genus flavivirus within the family Flaviviridae. WNV is a positive-sense, single strand of RNA, it is between 11,000 and 12,000 nucleotides long which encode seven non-structural proteins and three structural proteins. The RNA strand is held within a nucleocapsid formed from 12 kDa protein blocks; the capsid is contained within a host-derived membrane altered by two viral glycoproteins.

Historical Perspective

WNV was first isolated in 1937 in Uganda from a hospitalized patient who presented with isolated fever. Between 1950 and 1960, small villages in the Mediterranean basin had repeated outbreaks, especially in Israel and Egypt. These epidemics allowed researchers to study the molecular and clinical features of the disease and further understand its mode of transmission and natural history. Several WNV outbreaks were recorded in the second half of the 20th century in Europe, Middle East, Far East, and Africa. It was not until 1999 when the first WNV outbreak was documented in USA, making WNV a worldwide infection. Perhaps the most severe outbreak documented was in 2002 in USA, recording the highest number of meningoencephalitis from a single WNV outbreak. The first description of a person-to-person transmission was reported in 2002 among patients with blood transfusions and tissue transplantation.

Causes

WNV is an enveloped positive-sense ssRNA of 11000 base pairs (bp) that is considered a member of the Japanese encephalitis serocomplex. It belongs to the genus Flavivirus and family Flaviviridae. Its RNA encodes structural and non-structural proteins. Although 7 lineages of WNV have been described, only lineage 1 and 2 are clinically significant. The viral natural reservoir includes many species, such as humans, horses, dogs, and cats; but the main natural reservoir is birds.

Pathophysiology

The natural reservoir of West Nile virus (WNV) is birds, particularly species with high-level viremia. In contrast, viremia is relatively rare among infected humans, who are considered dead-end hosts of the virus. WNV is transmitted by bites of various species of mosquitoes. Following inoculation, replication of the virus occurs in the Langerhans epidermal dendritic cell. Among immunocompetent hosts, the replication process is immediately followed by activation of the immune system, including complement system pathways, and humoral and adaptive immune responses that act simultaneously to clear the infection. On the other hand, immunocompromised patients may suffer CNS dissemination and fatal outcomes due to the failure to activate proper immunological pathways. Finally, the role of genetics in WNV susceptibility is not fully understood; but mice models and a few human experiments have described genetic mutations that may predispose individuals to worse clinical disease of WNV infections.

Risk Factors

Certain factors may increase the risk of infection with WNV by a mosquito bite, such as warm temperatures, extensive outdoor exposure, homelessness, and absence of window screens. Occupational risk factors include in-field occupations, such as agriculture. Severe clinical disease is often associated with advanced age, immunosuppression, malignancy, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and renal disease. An increased risk of death is observed among immunosuppressed patients and those presenting with altered level of consciousness. Certain conditions such as encephalitis, advanced cardiovascular disease, and hepatitis C virus may also carry an increased risk of death among patients infected with WNV.

Screening

Universal screening for West Nile virus is not recommended. As bloodand transplant-related transmission of the virus has been reported, nucleic acid tests (NAT) may be used to screening for WNV among potential blood and solid organ donors. In blood donation, individual screening is not recommended. Instead, a "minipool" nucleic acid testing program (MP NAT) is implemented. Positive pools warrant further investigation for individuals. Patients with positive NAT may not donate blood or solid organs for at least 120 days. Re-testing after 120 days is indicated.

History & Symptoms

West Nile fever infection is considered a clinical spectrum. West Nile fever infection has 3 different clinical presentations: Asymptomatic (~70-80%), mild febrile syndrome termed West Nile fever (~20%), and neuroinvasive disease termed West Nile meningitis or encephalitis (<1%). Patients who are suspected to have WNV infection should specifically be inquired about recent mosquito bites.

Physical Examination

On physical examination, patients with WNV infection may have no specific signs. Physical examination findings may range from an isolated fever to signs of severe neurological impairment, meningeal irritation, stupor, and coma.

References

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