{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T06:05:00Z","timestamp":1789538700074,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus maintained in bird\u2013mosquito cycles, with occasional spillover events causing neuroinvasive disease in humans and animals. This study describes two fatal cases of WNV lineage 2 infection in captive harbor seals housed in a zoological park in southern Italy, together with genomic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the detected strains.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Harbor seals were tested using multiplex real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the simultaneous detection of WNV lineage 1 and lineage 2. Selected extracts were further analyzed by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Next-generation sequencing was performed, and the resulting sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap was used for targeted mosquito collection near the fence of the dead harbor seals, and female mosquitoes were screened for WNV. Histopathological examination was also performed in one seal.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      WNV lineage 2 RNA was detected in central nervous system tissues of both seals and in a pool of female\n                      <jats:italic>Culex pipiens<\/jats:italic>\n                      collected near the fence. Near-complete WNV genomes clustered with contemporary southern Italian strains and were consistent with local viral circulation.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      These findings document WNV lineage 2 infection associated with fatal neurological disease in harbor seals, expanding current knowledge of the host range of this virus and providing complementary\n                      <jats:italic>in situ<\/jats:italic>\n                      entomological and genomic evidence. Overall, this study highlights the value of an integrated One Health surveillance approach in zoological parks.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1937304","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:32:56Z","timestamp":1789536776000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Detection and genomic characterization of West Nile virus lineage 2 in captive harbor seals in southern Italy"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Claudio","family":"de Martinis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lorena","family":"Cardillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto 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Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Lella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Dimatteo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Degli Uberti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pasquale","family":"Silvestre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Sanitaria Locale Napoli 2 Nord","place":["Naples, Italy"]},{"name":"Lo Zoo di Napoli","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evaristo","family":"Di Napoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples \"Federico II\"","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicola","family":"D\u2019Alessio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Naples, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esterina","family":"De Carlo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Reference Centre for Hygiene and Technologies of Water Buffalo Farming and Productions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno","place":["Salerno, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"WNV One Health Surveillance 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