{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T05:41:00Z","timestamp":1771047660400,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,17]],"date-time":"2021-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1618617600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Slovak Research and Development Agency","award":["APVV-19-0440"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APVV-19-0440"]}]},{"name":"Slovak Research and Development Agency","award":["APVV-16-0518"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APVV-16-0518"]}]},{"name":"Slovak Research and Development Agency","award":["APVV-15-0232"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APVV-15-0232"]}]},{"name":"Operational Programme Integrated Infrastructure, funded by the ERDF: \u201cOpen scientific community for modern interdisciplinary research in medicine (OPENMED)\u201c","award":["ITMS2014+: 313011V455"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ITMS2014+: 313011V455"]}]},{"name":"COST","award":["CA 17 108"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CA 17 108"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study reports on a fatal case of a captive great grey owl infected with the West Nile virus (WNV) in the zoological garden Ko\u0161ice, eastern Slovakia (Central Europe). The tissue samples of the dead owl were used for virus isolation and genetic characterization. The novel isolate is genetically closer to Hungarian, Greek, and Bulgarian strains from the central\/southern European clade of lineage 2 than to the strains previously isolated in Slovakia. Interestingly, it carries NS3-249P, a molecular virulence determinant associated with higher neurovirulence, which has not previously been observed in Slovakia. Subsequent serological investigation of the captive owls revealed additional seropositive animals, indicating local WNV transmission. Although no WNV-positive mosquitoes were found, the presence of the WNV principal vector Culex pipiens complex together with the described fatal case and further serological findings indicate an endemic focus of bird-neurovirulent WNV variant in the area.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v13040699","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,19]],"date-time":"2021-04-19T21:59:49Z","timestamp":1618869589000},"page":"699","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Genetic Characterization of a Neurovirulent West Nile Virus Variant Associated with a Fatal Great Grey Owl Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3434-5977","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katar\u00edna","family":"Pe\u0148azziov\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Ko\u0161ice, Komensk\u00e9ho 73, 04181 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8559-3559","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u013dubo\u0161","family":"Koryt\u00e1r","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epizootiology, Parasitology and Protection of One Health, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Ko\u0161ice, Komensk\u00e9ho 73, 04181 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrik","family":"Pastorek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ZOO Ko\u0161ice, Ulica k Zoologickej Z\u00e1hrade 1, 04001 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Juraj","family":"Pistl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Ko\u0161ice, Komensk\u00e9ho 73, 04181 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Diana","family":"Rus\u0148\u00e1kov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovi\u010dova 8, 84104 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tom\u00e1\u0161","family":"Szemes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovi\u010dova 8, 84104 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8725-9362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vikt\u00f3ria","family":"\u010cabanov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Research Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Department of Virus Ecology, Institute of Virology, D\u00fabravsk\u00e1 Cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5357-6618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Li\u010dkov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Research Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Department of Virus Ecology, Institute of Virology, D\u00fabravsk\u00e1 Cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1086-3219","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Krist\u00edna","family":"Bor\u0161ov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Research Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Department of Virus Ecology, Institute of Virology, D\u00fabravsk\u00e1 Cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia"},{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovi\u010dova 6, 84215 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6931-1224","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Boris","family":"Klempa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Research Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Department of Virus Ecology, Institute of Virology, D\u00fabravsk\u00e1 Cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2055-9293","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tom\u00e1\u0161","family":"Csank","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Ko\u0161ice, Komensk\u00e9ho 73, 04181 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"519","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(02)00368-7","article-title":"West Nile virus","volume":"2","author":"Campbell","year":"2002","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. 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