Serologic Evidence of Various Arboviruses Detected in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the United States

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 Aug;97(2):319-323. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0180. Epub 2017 Jul 19.

Abstract

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an abundant mammal with a wide geographic distribution in the United States, which make them good sentinels for monitoring arboviral activity across the country. Exposure to various arboviruses has been detected in white-tailed deer, typically in conjunction with another diagnostic finding. To better assess the exposure of white-tailed deer to seven arboviruses, we tested 1,508 sera collected from 2010 to 2016 for antibodies to eastern equine encephalitis (2.5%), Powassan (4.2%), St. Louis encephalitis, (3.7%), West Nile (6.0%), Maguari (19.4%), La Crosse (30.3%), and bluetongue (7.8%) viruses. At least one arbovirus was detected in 51.3%, and exposure to more than one arbovirus was identified in 17.6% of the white-tailed deer sampled.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild / virology*
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Arboviruses / isolation & purification*
  • Deer / virology*
  • Serologic Tests
  • United States

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral