Resumen

HERNANDEZ R, Rosa I et al. West Nile Virus: Review. INHRR [online]. 2009, vol.40, n.1, pp.44-56. ISSN 0798-0477.

The West Nile Virus (WNV), an arthropod borne virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, is phylogenetically related to the Japanese Encephalitis group, and it was firts isolated in 1937 from the blood of a woman with fever in the West Nile province of Uganda-Africa. Like others arboviruses, the West Nile Virus has two transmission cycles: one primary enzootic cycle or amplifying cycle that involves a group of mosquitoes vectors and birds as the main amplifying hosts and a second cycle that comprises differents virus-carring arthropod with virus transmission to susceptibles humans and horses, among others. WNV infection in humans causes a spectrum of manifestations from subclinical infection to death. WNV broad geographic distribution, its transmission by mosquitoes and its circulation in cycles of transmission between wild birds as enzootic hosts and some human infections were well documented in the 1960's years. WNV had not been considered important as a human pathogen due to cases with no symptoms or mild clinical symptoms in cases without severity. Since 1996 have been reported important outbreaks with an important progression to cases of meningoencephalitis. The emergence of WNV in eastern North America in 1999 was a major event in modern arbovirology, not only because of the disease impact or the potential threat it represented, but because it alerted the world that pathogens may turn up anywhere at anytime. This article briefly reviews the emergence of West Nile Virus in the Americas, its ecology and epidemiology, clinic, diagnosis and treatment and prevention of West Nile Virus illness.

Palabras clave : arbovirus; infection; West Nile Virus; Japanese encephalitis; meningoencephalitis; birds; horses; mosquitoes.