Get Tested For West Nile Virus

Physicians at the Virology Division of the University of Washington have developed tests to detect the West Nile virus, due to its rapid growth and most recent appearance in northwest animals.

"We expect to see some cases here this summer," said Dr. Lawrence Corey, Virology Division chair.

Before the tests were developed, UW physicians sent samples to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to make its detection easier.

According to Dr. Keith Jerome at UW's Division, sending samples to CDC would take quite some time for them to return. Now, the diagnosis can be provided to UW physicians within a day.

"There are two tests," said Jerome. "One is molecular, based on polymerase chain reaction which detects minute quantities of viral nucleic acids; another test checks antibodies reaction to the virus."

Jerome said that physicians are trying to detect the West Nile virus' genetic makeup through those tests.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the virus, which comes from mosquito bites, is known to be present in animals and is a serious illness. People who are infected won't show any signs of symptoms at all, 80 percent of the time, according to CDC. Also they say that some people may show mild symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, headache, fever--all which last typically few days.

Once a human is infected, the virus multiplies and causes a flu-like illness in most people

about 1-2 weeks after the mosquito bite.

Current studies indicate that less than one percent of infected people may develop more severe illness with an infection in the brain called encephalitis, said Dr. Linda Cook at the Laboratory of Medicine in the Division. She added that West Nile virus is very similar to Eastern and Western Equine encephalitis virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus, which all belong to the family of mosquito-born viruses.

"West Nile caused the largest outbreak in the world of mosquito-borne encephalitis in the USA last year with over 280 deaths," said Cook.

Llelwyn Grant, CDC spokes person at the office of communications, highlighted the importance of people getting a strong insect repellant, since no vaccine has yet been developed.

"Using bug repellant containing deet (repellant chemical) is highly recommended--at least 50 percent for adults and no more than 10 percent for children," he said.

Grant also recommended limiting the activities outdoors, especially during dawn or dusk.

"Any items that contain standing water, like tires, barrels or buckets should be discarded because they're the ultimate breeding grounds for mosquitoes," said Grant. He also confirmed Dr. Corey's prediction that the likelihood of seeing human cases of the virus in the North West is high.

The virus was originally identified in 1937 in the West Nile district of Uganda, according to Cook. Prior to 1957, the virus was not reported to cause significant disease, but since 1957 has been associated with outbreaks of severe neurological disease in Romania, Russia and Israel. She said that most experts believe the virus is here to stay in United States. Cook said that it is not known how significant the human disease will be each year. Experts will be watching what happens between July to October to determine the future of the disease in the United States.