| dc.description | West Nile Virus is the causative agent of a zoonotic disease transmitted by mosquitoes For prevention purposes, it is impor-tant to evaluate possibilities of early detection Birds are the main vectors spreading the disease because they are the hosts for amplification, whereas humans, horses and other vertebrates are terminal hosts Migratory birds arrive in Colombia from Central and North America, where the disease has been reported previously We evaluated the presence of this virus in swabs of birds sampled on San Andres Island, using the test VecTest West Nile Virus Antigen Assay and inoculation in Vero cells We sampled 300 individuals from eight families of the order Passeriformes and one family in the order Columbiformes, of which 14% of the individuals were migratory and 86% were residents The results of tests for the detection of the antigen and the viral isolate were negative Although no evidence was found of the presence of the virus in the wild birds tested, there is a potential risk of emergence of this virus on the island owing to the existence of active vector mosquito populations throughout the year We therefore recommend establishing a monitoring system as a routine measure during the fall mi-gration season on the island. | |
