Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 19, Number 4—April 2013
Letter

West Nile Virus Infection in Belgian Traveler Returning from Greece

Lieselotte CnopsComments to Author , Anna Papa, Frideriki Lagra, Philippe Weyers, Kathleen Meersman, Nicolas Patsouros, and Marjan Van Esbroeck
Author affiliations: National Reference Center for WNV and Arboviruses–Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium (L. Cnops, K. Meersman, M. Van Esbroeck); National Reference Laboratory for Arboviruses–Aristotle University Medical School, Thessaloniki, Greece (A. Papa; Kavala General Hospital, Kavala, Greece (F. Lagra); Saint-Jean Hospital, Brussels, Belgium (P. Weyers, N. Patsouros)

Main Article

Table

Laboratory results confirming WNV infection of 73-year-old woman, Greece, 2012*†

Sample Date RT-PCR (Ct value) WNV ELISA IgM (ratio) WNV ELISA IgG (ratio) Flavi IFAT IgM Flavi IFAT IgG
Serum Aug 15 Positive (45.47) Positive (25) Negative ND ND
CSF Sep 3 ND Positive (5.16) Positive (2.21) ND ND
Serum Sep 6 Positive (42.87)‡ Positive (4.76) Positive (2.63) WNV positive WNV positive§

*WNV, West Nile virus; RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR; Ct, cycle threshold; Flavi, flavivirus; IFAT, indirect fluorescent antibody technique; ND, not done; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid.
†The ELISA is positive if ratio >1.1 for IgM and >1.5 for IgG. The cutoff value for IFAT is 1/10 for both IgG and IgM.
‡Sequencing revealed a 116-bp sequence perfectly matched to the WNV amplicon and is highly suggestive for WNV lineage 2 on the basis of the presence of 2 specific nucleotides.
§Strongest signal for WNV, weak signal for other flaviviruses (Japanese encephalitis virus, dengue viruses 1–4, yellow fever virus).

Main Article

Page created: March 13, 2013
Page updated: March 13, 2013
Page reviewed: March 13, 2013
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external