EFFECTIVENESS OF A COMMERCIAL COMPETITIVE ELISA FOR THE DETECTION OF WEST NILE VIRUS ANTIBODIES IN SENTINEL CHICKENS

Abstract

The use of sentinel chickens is a powerful tool to aid in arboviral surveillance efforts. Results from this type of surveillance is used to help guide abatement efforts for vector species. Many mosquito control programs use outsourced laboratories for testing sentinel chicken samples. This study evaluated the use of a commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for in-house testing for West Nile virus antibodies from chicken serum. The commercial cELISA detected more positive sentinel chickens compared to the outsourced laboratory results. Results obtained from the in-house testing of chicken serum were reported sooner compared to the outsourced laboratory results, enhancing mosquito control programs timeliness for response to mosquito-borne disease.