Detection of intrathecal IgM, IgG and IgA in a Cuban West Nile virus confirmed case.

Dra. Maritza Pupo-Antúnez – Novia del Mediodía Km 6 1⁄2 La Lisa, Habana, Cuba. E-mail: [email protected] West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus grouped in Japanese encephalitis virus serogroup due to serological antigenic characteristics. WNV is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes which acquire the virus after feeding on vertebrate amplifying hosts, mainly birds. WNV is endemic in great parts of Africa and it has been reported in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, parts of Asia, Australia (Kunjin virus, a subtype of WNV). In 1999, the virus was detected in the Western Hemisphere for the first time in New York City. After that, WNV has spread considerably throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately 80% of WNV-infected patients are asymptomatic, 20% develop West Nile fever (WNF), and less than 1% develops West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). WNV central nervous system (CNS) disease occurs frequently in immunocompromised persons and the elderly. The specific mechanism by which WNV enters the CNS is unknown, but it suggested from experimental WNV infection results high levels of inflammatory cytokines including tumour necrosis factor which can alter blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability.