Texas Health Officials Study West Nile Outbreak
August 23, 2012
Officials in the southwest U.S. state of Texas are tracking the spread of the West Nile virus, which has killed 21 people in the state so far this year and has sickened nearly 700. While the Dallas metropolitan area has had the most cases, the disease is cropping up all across the state.
Technicians in the state's mosquito laboratory are examining mosquito corpses sent from all over Texas, at the Texas Department of Health Services Laboratories in the capital of Austin.
State Laboratories Director Grace Kubin said technicians use animal tissue that is susceptible to West Nile virus to test the mosquito samples.
“We add in, essentially, the ground-up mosquitoes," said Kubin. "We have to grind them up; that releases the virus. And now we have that in a liquid form and we can use that to infect the cells.”
Kubin said the tests provide results within 48 hours so the lab can advise local officials on what action to take.
Mosquitoes aren't born with West Nile virus. They generally get it from biting birds that are infected.
Right bird, right time
To ingest the virus, mosquitoes need to find, so to speak, the right bird at the right time, according to Texas State Veterinarian Tom Sidwa. Some birds survive the virus.
“The birds only have the virus remaining in their blood from one to four days after they get infected. Then they have life-time immunity, so you have to find that bird that has the virus in its blood stream," said Sidwa.
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