Systematic review and meta-analysis of seroprevalence studies of West Nile virus in equids in Europe between 2001 and 2018

Metz, M. B. C. and Olufemi, O. T. and Daly, J. M. and Barba, M.

Transbound Emerg Dis (2021) 68: 1814–1823

DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13866

Abstract

There is some evidence that West Nile virus (WNV), which causes encephalomyelitis in equids, is an emerging disease in Europe. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyse seroprevalence studies of WNV in equids in European countries between 2001 and 2018. Two electronic databases, PubMed and Scopus, were searched for relevant publications published from 2001 to 2018 using predetermined keywords. A total of 1,484 papers were initially found. After applying the eligibility criteria, 39 papers were finally included in the systematic review. Analysis of 28,089 equids from 16 European countries revealed a pooled seroprevalence of 8% (95% CI 5%-12%, p \textless .001, I(2)  = 99.3%) in Europe. The pooled seroprevalence was slightly higher in Mediterranean basin countries than other countries and when calculated for samples collected between 2001 and 2009 compared to 2010 to 2018. Differences in study design (e.g. sampling associated with recent outbreaks of WNV) contributed to a high degree of variability among studies. Further studies with harmonized study design and reporting of the results are recommended to better estimate and monitor European seroprevalence of WNV in equids.

Citation

Metz, M. B. C., Olufemi, O. T., Daly, J. M., & Barba, M. (2021). Systematic review and meta-analysis of seroprevalence studies of West Nile virus in equids in Europe between 2001 and 2018. Transbound Emerg Dis, 68(4), 1814–1823. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13866 horses, Europe, seroprevalence, equids, Mediterranean basin, Wnv

Keywords

• horses
• Europe
• seroprevalence
• equids
• Mediterranean basin
• Wnv