West Nile virus in golden eagles, Spain, 2007

• Published in: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Authors: Jiménez-Clavero, Miguel Ángel, Sotelo, Elena, Fernández-Pinero, Jovita, Llorente, Francisco, Blanco, Juan Manuel, Rodríguez-Ramos, J., Pérez-Ramírez, Elisa, Höfle, Ursula
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: National Center for Infectious Diseases (U.S.) 2008
• Subjects: Aquila chrysaetos; golden eagle
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/61404; https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1409.080190

lthough West Nile virus (WNV) has not been isolated in Spain, several recent studies provide evidence for its circulation in this country (1–5). We report isolation of WNV in Spain from 2 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos).A captive-bred 2-year-old male golden eagle (GE-1) was released into the wild in central Spain. The bird’s location was monitored daily by telemetry, and it remained within a radius of 100 km from its original release point. On September 15, 2007 (1 month after release), it was found moribund and was moved to a rehabilitation and captive breeding center for endangered raptors. Upon admission, the bird was in fair condition but debilitated and aggressive. It then became increasingly disorientated, showed a head tilt, and died 5 days after admission, despite intensive supportive care and treatment for secondary infections. This study was supported in part by the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (OT01-002). Peer Reviewed