West Nile Virus Real-TM PCR Kit

Real Time Amplification kit test for the qualitative detection of West Nile Virus

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Background

The West Nile virus is one of the many members of the genus Flavivirus that are known to cause human disease. The life cycle of the West Nile virus involves the microbe's transmission from nonhuman animals to humans by way of Aedes, Culex, or Anopheles mosquitoes. The West Nile virus can infect horses, birds, dogs, and other mammals. However, wild birds are apparently the optimal hosts for harboring and replicating the virus. The West Nile virus causes serious manifestations in approximately 1% of persons who are infected, with increased morbidity and mortality in individuals older than 50 years. In hospitalized patients, neurologic sequelae of the West Nile virus included severe muscle weakness, with approximately 10% of patients developing a complete flaccid paralysis. One in 150 West Nile virus infections results in encephalitis or meningitis, and the mortality rate from severe illness is 3-15%.