Impact of Climate and Environmental Factors on West Nile Virus Circulation in Iran

Background: Geographic distribution of West Nile virus (WNV) is heterogeneous in Iran by a high circulation in the southern-western areas. The objective of our study was to determine environmental and climatic factors associ­ated with the risk of WNV equine seropositivity in Iran. Methods: Serological data were obtained from a serosurvey conducted in equine population in 260 districts in Iran. The climate and environmental parameters included in the models were distance to the nearest wetland area, type of stable, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual mean temperature, humidity and precipitation. Results: The important risk factors included annual mean temperature, distance to wetlands, local and seasonal NDVI differences. The effect of local NDVI differences in spring was particularly notable. This was a normalized difference of average NDVI between two areas: a 5 km radius area centered on the stable and the 5–10 km sur­rounding area. Conclusion: The model indicated that local NDVI’s contrast during spring is a major risk factor of the transmission of West-Nile virus in Iran. This so-called oasis effect consistent with the seasonal production of vegetation in spring, and is associated to the attractiveness of the local NDVI environment for WNV vectors and hosts.

Impact of Climate and Environmental Factors on West Nile Virus Circulation in Iran

International audienceBackground: Geographic distribution of West Nile virus (WNV) is heterogeneous in Iran by a high circulation in the southern-western areas. The objective of our study was to determine environmental and climatic factors associated with the risk of WNV equine seropositivity in Iran. Methods: Serological data were obtained from a serosurvey conducted in equine population in 260 districts in Iran. The climate and environmental parameters included in the models were distance to the nearest wetland area, type of stable, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual mean temperature, humidity and precipitation. Results: The important risk factors included annual mean temperature, distance to wetlands, local and seasonal NDVI differences. The effect of local NDVI differences in spring was particularly notable. This was a normalized difference of average NDVI between two areas: a 5 km radius area centered on the stable and the 5–10 km surrounding area. Conclusion: The model indicated that local NDVI’s contrast during spring is a major risk factor of the transmission of West-Nile virus in Iran. This so-called oasis effect consistent with the seasonal production of vegetation in spring, and is associated to the attractiveness of the local NDVI environment for WNV vectors and hosts

The molecular epidemiology of bovine rotaviruses circulating in Iran: a two-year study

International audienceBovine group A rotavirus (bovine RVA) is recognized as a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in newborn calves. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and identify the genotypes of circulating bovine RVA in newborn diarrheic calves. Two hundred fifty-three stool samples of diarrheic calves up to 1 month old were collected from 42 industrial dairy farms in two Iranian provinces during March 2010 to February 2012. All collected samples were screened for the presence of bovine RVA by RT-PCR, and the G and P genotypes were determined by semi-nested multiplex RT-PCR assay. The results of RT-PCR indicated that 49.4 % (125 out of 253) of the samples were positive for bovine RVA. The G and P genotyping of a subset of positive samples (n = 85) by semi-nested multiplex RT-PCR revealed that G6 (55.3 %) and G10 (43.5 %) and P[5] (51.8 %) and P[11] (27 %) were the most prevalent G and P genotypes, respectively. G6P[5] was the dominant genotype (35.3 %), followed by G10P[5], G10P[11] and G6P[11], with prevalence rates of 16.5 %, 15.3 % and 10.6 %, respectively. Sequence analysis of 20 VP7 and four VP4 genes showed highest nucleotide sequence identity with the corresponding genes of strains RVA/Cow-tc/GBR/UK/1973/G6P7[5] and RVA/Cow-tc/USA/B223/XXXX/G10P[11]. The results of this study reveal the diversity of G and P genotypes in bovine RVA samples from diarrheic Iranian calves and expands our knowledge of bovine RVA infections in the Middle East. These results also highlight the importance of producing of an effective rotavirus vaccine and its inclusion in the national cattle immunization program