Serological evidence of West Nile Virus infection among humans in the southern Provinces of Morocco

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of West Nile Virus infection in the southern provinces of Morocco. Methodology: A total of 250 sera, collected during 2012 in the province of Dakhla, were analyzed by microneutralisation assay. Results: WNV-neutralizing anti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hicham El Rhaffouli, Idriss Lahlou-Amine, Chafiqua Loutfi, Abdellilah Laraqui, Tahar Bajjou, Ouafaa Fassi-Fihri, Mehdi El Harrak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2013-12-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/3399
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Summary:Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of West Nile Virus infection in the southern provinces of Morocco. Methodology: A total of 250 sera, collected during 2012 in the province of Dakhla, were analyzed by microneutralisation assay. Results: WNV-neutralizing antibodies were detected in 13 samples (5.2%). The participants with WNV-specific antibodies were significantly younger than the rest of the population (p = 0.009). The positivity rate was higher among women (6.3%) than men (3.6%) (p = 0.26). Conclusions: This is the first serological evidence of WNV infection among humans in the southern provinces of Morocco.
ISSN:1972-2680