EuroWestNile

Welcome to the website of EuroWestNile, a collaborative research project funded by the European Union dedicated to improve the knowledge on the biological, ecological and epidemiological factors affecting the West Nile virus activity in Europe and to provide innovative tools for its prevention and control.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a virus transmitted between birds by mosquito bites. However it can cause occasionally neurological disease both in humans and equines.

WNV is one of the most evident examples of emerging/re-emerging pathogens one can nominate, which is characterized by occasional virulent epizootic outbreaks. Despite intensive research done since its first appearance in the Americas in 1999, many aspects of its molecular biology, epidemiology, ecology, pathogenesis and life cycle are still poorly understood. Being a generalist pathogen par excellence, its eco-epidemiology is extraordinarily complex, involving hundreds of different vectors and hosts, which differ between locations. In addition, as other RNA viruses lacking proofreading replication, its genome is highly variable and consequently of extraordinary plasticity. As a result, many WNV variants have evolved independently in different parts of the world. As the virus moves from one area to another, either by nature, through migrating birds, or by human influence (commerce and/or other activities), different WNV variants (lineages) from different origins can coexist and co-evolve in a particular area. This is the case in Europe, with at least five of seven WNV lineages identified to date.

This situation is clearly different from that of North America. However, most studies on WNV currently come from the USA, biasing the knowledge available not only toward the virus there -a serious bias with important consequences influencing, for instance, diagnostic methods- but also to the WNV ecology in hosts and vectors.