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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » Livestock Arthropod Pest Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #385761
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Flies of Veterinary Importance

Location: Livestock Arthropod Pest Research Unit

Title: Neutralizing antibodies for mosquito-borne flaviviruses in dogs from Northern and Southern Mexico

Author
item DAVILA, EDWARD - Texas A&M University
item FERNÁNDEZ-SANTOS, NADIA - National Polytechnic Institute
item RODRIGUEZ-PEREZ, MARIO - National Polytechnic Institute
item ESTRADA-FRANCO, JOSE - National Polytechnic Institute
item WEI, LIHUA - National Polytechnic Institute
item AGUILAR-DURAN, JESUS - National Polytechnic Institute
item LOPEZ-LOPEZ, MARIA DE - National Polytechnic Institute
item SOLIS-HERNANDEZ, ROBERTO - Colegio De La Frontera
item GARCIA-MIRANDA, ROSARIO - Colegio De La Frontera
item VELAZQUEZ-RAMIREZ, DANIEL - Colegio De La Frontera
item TORRES-ROMERO, JASIEL - Colegio De La Frontera
item ARELLANO CHÁVEZ, SUSANA - Autonomous University Of Chiapas
item CRUZ-CADENA, RAÚL - Autonomous University Of Chiapas
item NAVARRO-LOPEZ, ROBERTO - Laboratory Of The Mexico United States Commission For Prevention Of Foot And Mouth Disease And Othe

Submitted to: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/8/2022
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Biting flies, including mosquitoes, affect the health of livestock and other domestic animals. Several mosquito species also transmit viruses that cause disease, also known as mosquito-borne viruses, among humans and domestic animals. Dogs are among the species of domestic animals that could help monitor the activity of mosquito-borne viruses in the environment. This study assessed how domestic dogs in Northern and Southern Mexico could help as sentinels for mosquito-borne flaviviruses like Zika, Dengue, and West Nile viruses. Results documented limited activity of Zika and Dengue viruses, but substantial exposure of dogs to West Nile virus in Northern Mexico. Surveillance research like this study informs preparedness to mitigate the health burden of biting fly activity including the risk for transmission of mosquito-borne viruses to livestock and other domestic animals, and humans.

Technical Abstract: Human-amplified flaviviruses present significant health burdens across the Americas, and animals may be useful sentinels. The objective of this study was to determine the degree to which domestic dogs in Northern and Southern Mexico are exposed to flaviviruses and could serve as sentinels. Blood samples from 294 dogs were tested for flaviviruses including Zika (ZIKV), dengue-1, dengue-2 (DENV-2), and West Nile viruses (WNV) by plaque-reduction neutralization tests. A single dog from Southern Mexico presented as a low titer monotypic reaction for DENV-2 which was the only evidence of exposure to an Aedes-borne flavivirus. In contrast, canine exposure to WNV was widespread, with a higher prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to WNV in dogs from Northern Mexico (69/169, 40.8%) than in Southern Mexico (1/87, 1.1%). Results suggest limited spill-over of DENV and ZIKV to dogs, but substantial canine exposure to WNV in Northern Mexico.