Systematic review and meta-analysis of the seroprevalence of West Nile
virus in equids in Europe between 2001 and 2018
Abstract
There is some evidence that West Nile virus (WNV), which causes
encephalomyelitis in equids, is an emerging disease in Europe. The aim
of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to
determine the seroprevalence of West Nile virus in equids in European
countries between 2001 and 2018. Two electronic databases, PubMed and
Scopus, were searched for relevant publications published from 2001 to
2018 using predetermined keywords. A total of 1484 papers was initially
found. After applying the eligibility criteria, 39 papers were finally
included in the systematic review. Analysis of 28,089 equids from 16
European countries revealed a pooled seroprevalence of 8% (95% CI
5–12%, P<0.001, I2 = 99.3%) in Europe. The pooled
seroprevalence was slightly higher in Mediterranean basin countries than
other countries and when calculated for samples collected between 2001
and 2009 compared to 2010 to 2018. Differences in study design (e.g.
sampling associated with recent outbreaks of WNV) contributed to a high
degree of variability among studies. Further studies with harmonized
study design and reporting of the results are recommended to better
estimate and monitor European seroprevalence of West Nile virus in
equids.