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Bird vaccine for West Nile Virus

Date:
July 9, 2013
Source:
University of British Columbia
Summary:
Researchers have developed a vaccine to halt the spread of West Nile Virus among common and endangered bird species.
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University of British Columbia researchers have developed a vaccine that may halt the spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) among common and endangered bird species.

WNV, a mosquito borne pathogen, arrived in North America in 1999 and is now endemic across the continent. In 2012 alone, WNV killed 286 people in the United States, and 42 people have died from the virus in Canada since 2002. There is currently no effective vaccine against WNV infection in humans or birds.

Common birds such as crows, ravens and jays, and endangered species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse and the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike, are also susceptible to WNV infection, with mortality rates in some species and populations as high as 100 per cent.

"West Nile Virus has been identified as a threat contributing to the extinction of some rare bird species and its presence in common birds facilitates the spread of the disease," says Joanne Young , lead author of a study recently published in PLOS ONE and a PhD student in UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories and Department of Zoology. "A bird vaccine would go a long way to helping combat these adverse effects."

Young and Prof. Wilfred Jefferies developed and tested a vaccine made from components of WNV and found it generated an effective immune response in birds. This may protect against the spread of virus not only among birds but also to other species. The team will now study the vaccine's effectiveness in protecting birds against mortality caused by the disease.


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Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Joanne A. Young, Wilfred Jefferies. Towards the Conservation of Endangered Avian Species: A Recombinant West Nile Virus Vaccine Results in Increased Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica). PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (6): e67137 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067137

Cite This Page:

University of British Columbia. "Bird vaccine for West Nile Virus." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 July 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130709094836.htm>.
University of British Columbia. (2013, July 9). Bird vaccine for West Nile Virus. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130709094836.htm
University of British Columbia. "Bird vaccine for West Nile Virus." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130709094836.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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