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Abstract

Background

West Nile virus (WNV) is a growing public health concern in Europe. Greece is one of the most affected countries in Europe, with the highest annual incidences.

Aim

We aimed at assessing IgG antibodies to WNV in the Greek population and compared the results with a nationwide survey conducted in the period 2012–2013.

Methods

In a geographically stratified sampling, 4,416 serum samples were collected and analysed for WNV-specific IgG antibodies using ELISA. Samples positive for WNV IgG were further tested with a WNV serum neutralisation test to detect false positives.

Results

The weighted seroprevalence, adjusted for age, sex and region, was 2.83% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.32–3.44) in the 4,416 samples tested, significantly higher than in the 2012–2013 survey (1.55%; 95% CI: 1.17–2.04). The seropositivity increased with age with the highest seroprevalence in persons aged ≥ 80 years (6.04%; 95% CI: 3.28–10.88). No significant differences in seropositivity were observed between sexes or regions. We estimated that 312 (95% CI: 256–379) persons had a WNV infection per a case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). A certain degree of discordance was observed between areas with increased seroprevalence and those with an increased incidence of WNND.

Conclusion

Our study reveals a wider geographical spread of WNV infections in Greece compared with previous investigations. The nearly twofold increase in seroprevalence highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and preventive measures to mitigate the impact of WNV on public health in Greece.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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2025-04-17
2025-04-19
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Seroprevalence of West Nile virus, Greece, 2020
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Michalis+Koureas&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Koureas Michalis</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Asimina+Nasika&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Nasika Asimina</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Athanasios+G+Lianos&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Lianos Athanasios G</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Alexandros+Vontas&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Vontas Alexandros</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Maria+A+Kyritsi&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kyritsi Maria A</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ioanna+Voulgaridi&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Voulgaridi Ioanna</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Alexia+Matziri&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Matziri Alexia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Zacharoula+Bogogiannidou&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Bogogiannidou Zacharoula</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Fani+Kalala&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kalala Fani</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Varvara+A+Mouchtouri&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Mouchtouri Varvara A</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Matthaios+Speletas&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Speletas Matthaios</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Christos+Hadjichristodoulou&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Hadjichristodoulou Christos</a></span>. Seroprevalence of West Nile virus, Greece, 2020. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2025;30(15):pii=2400487. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.15.2400487" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.15.2400487</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 22 Jul 2024;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 21 Oct 2024 </span> </p>
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