Volume 10, Number 12, December 2004

VecTest as Diagnostic and Surveillance Tool for West Nile Virus in Dead Birds

Ward B. Stone,* Joseph C. Okoniewski,* Joseph E. Therrien,* Laura D. Kramer,† Elizabeth B. Kauffman,† and Millicent Eidson†
*New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, New York, USA; and †New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA

Figure. West Nile virus (WNV) VecTest results from oral swabs of Gray Catbirds showing narrow-line false-positive results compared with typical true-positive VecTest results from reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction–positive American Crows. Note the near exclusive deposition of pigment at the lower margin of the test zone on the dipsticks of catbirds, and the distribution of pigment across the full width of the test zone in the WNV-positive crows, even in very weak positive tests.

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This page last reviewed November 18, 2004

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention