ASSESSMENT OF BIRD INVOLVEMENT IN THREE URBAN ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS EPIDEMICS

Investigations to determine the principal avian hosts of St. Louis encephalitis virus in urban epidemics were made in Houston, Texas, in 1964 and in Dallas and Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1966. Birds were captured and bled for virus isolation and serologic testing, and a census estimate of the bird po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 1974-05, Vol.99 (5), p.364-367
Main Authors: LORD, REXFORD D., CALISHER, CHARLES H., DOUGHTY, WALTER P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
bird diseases
Bird Diseases - epidemiology
Bird Diseases - immunology
Bird Diseases - microbiology
Birds
Columbidae
Complement Fixation Tests
Disease Vectors
encephalitis
Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis - isolation & purification
Encephalitis, St. Louis - epidemiology
Encephalitis, St. Louis - etiology
Encephalitis, St. Louis - immunology
Encephalitis, St. Louis - microbiology
Encephalitis, St. Louis - veterinary
epidemics
Humans
mosquitoes
Neutralization Tests
serology
St. Louis
Texas
Urban Population
virus isolation
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Summary:Investigations to determine the principal avian hosts of St. Louis encephalitis virus in urban epidemics were made in Houston, Texas, in 1964 and in Dallas and Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1966. Birds were captured and bled for virus isolation and serologic testing, and a census estimate of the bird population was made in each city. On the basis of relative abundance and antibody prevalence, the house sparrow appeared to be the most important avian host in all three epidemics. Feral pigeons also appeared to be important in all three cities. Blue jays were implicated in Houston and Dallas; however, this species does not occur in Corpus Christi.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a121622