A Serological and Virological Study of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis in Animal Populations of South Texas

[摘要] More than 2,500 sera from approximately 30 wild anddomestic species in southern Texas were tested for neutralizingantibodies to Venezuelan equine encephalitis.Virus isolations were also attempted from blood and tissuesamples of many of the wild specimens. VEE reactors werepresent in a variety of species collected prior to the 1971Texas epizootic suggesting that VEE was present and perhapsenzootic in this area before the recent epizootic. Serologicresults of this study suggest that deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) and feral hogs (Sus scrofa) may serve asgood indicators or sentinels of VEE activity. The reservoirof VEE was not established, but results of this studysuggest that a number of species or a combination of animalhost populations including deer, feral hogs, and peccaries(Pecari angulatus) may be involved in the epizootiology ofVEE in South Texas. Vector abundance and Psorophora-Culexprevalence patterns were shown to be related to rainfall.

[发布机构] University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point