West Nile virus infection in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Authors

Mitchell V. Palmer, National Animal Disease CenterFollow
William C. Stoffregen, Bacterial Diseases of Livestock Research Unit
Douglas G. Rogers, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Amir N. Hamir, Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit
Juergen A. Richt, Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit
Douglas D. Pedersen, National Veterinary Services Laboratory, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Ames, IA
W. Ray Waters

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

9-1-2004

Comments

Published in J Vet Diagn Invest 16:219–222 (2004).

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) infection in 4 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) resulted in lymphohistiocytic encephalomyelitis within the medulla oblongata and cervical spinal cord. Immunohistochemistry revealed WNV antigen within neurons and among mononuclear cell infiltrates. These represent the first known cases of clinical WNV infection in Cervidae. Clinical signs and lesions were similar to those described in horses. Nucleotide sequence of a 768-bp region of the WNV E-glycoprotein gene revealed 1 nucleotide mutation, which resulted in a single amino acid substitution from a serine to a glycine (position 227 of E-glycoprotein) when compared with the prototype WNV-NY99 strain (isolated from Bronx zoo flamingo 382-99).