Molecular detection of west nile virus in horses in kelantan, malaysia

West Nile Virus (WNV) is under-reported because it is usually asymptomatic in horses, only approximately 20% of infected horses will show signs. Furthermore, studies have shown that there were seropositive results for presence of West Nile Virus in migratory birds. This increases the chance for the virus to be transmitted to the horses in Kelantan with the Culex mosquito as the vector. Moreover, no research for molecular detection of West Nile Virus (WNV) in horses in Kelantan has been done before. The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the molecular prevalence of West Nile Virus (WNV) in 30 horses in Kelantan and (2) to determine the risk factors associated with West Nile Virus (WNV) infection among horses in Kelantan. Thirty horses were randomly chosen for blood collection in this study. Molecular detection of West Nile Virus (WNV) was conducted using nested Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The prevalence of West Nile Virus in horses in this study was 0% through molecular detection. Risk factor analysis was unable to determine the correlation between the risk factors. The study’s entirely negative outcome can be attributed to several factors. These encompass the sample size, the technique employed for West Nile Virus (WNV) detection, the absence of a specific positive control and the use of archived samples. The molecular detection method for West Nile Virus (WNV) used in this study has its own set of uncertainties and flaws. As a result, it can be that the negative findings from the archived samples in Kelantan does not definitively exclude the possibility of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection. Consequently, additional research is warranted.

Keywords: West Nile Fever, Horse, Molecular detection, Nested RT-PCR, Kelantan