West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has increasingly
become a concern in both America and Europe due to its complex and
unpredictable lifecycle. Transfusion-associated transmission of the WNV
has been well documented during the last few years. This study aimed to
detect the presence of WNV in: (i) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens
derived from aseptic meningitis cases in Greece and (ii) Greek blood
donations. A total of 115 CSF specimens from patients suffering from
aseptic meningitis and 9590 blood samples were collected from seven
Greek hospitals during the periods June to October 2006 and 2007 and
tested for investigational purposes. Both blood and CSF samples were
tested for the presence of WNV RNA by using the PROCLEIX WNV assay. None
of 115 CSF and 9590 blood donor samples was found positive according to
our testing algorithms. Despite the presence of WNV in Balkan countries,
WNV has not reached significant levels in Greece