Preliminary Study on the Prevalence of West Nile Virus Antibody among Horses, Donkeys and Camels in Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

In spite of several serological evidences for the presence of West Nile (WN) virus in Nigeria, the host range of the virus is not fully understood. In this study, the prevalence of the WN virus antibody was determined among horse, donkey and camel populations in Borno state, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty serum samples comprising of 96 sera from each of horses and camels and 58 from donkeys were tested for presence of WN virus neutralizing antibody. An overall prevalence of WN virus neutralizing antibody of 13.2% was noted in the population of animals tested.  Significant difference (P≤0.05) in prevalence was observed between the animals tested. Highest prevalence (17.7%) was noted in camels followed by horses (11.5%) and donkeys (8.6%). The results of this study confirmed the prevalence of WV virus antibody in camels in Nigeria and represented the first serosurvey for WN virus activities among horses and donkeys in this part of the country. There is considerable activity of the virus in the study area and provided evidence for the potential roles this group of animals could play in the epidemiology of WN virus infection in Nigeria.