Evidence of West Nile virus seropositivity in wild birds on the island of Cyprus

West Nile Virus (WNV)(1) is an emerging pathogen in Cyprus, with the first human case of infection reported in 2016, and another documented in 2018. A cluster of cases in humans was then reported in 2019. However, little is known regarding which avian species might bring WNV to Cyprus. Here, we investigated seroprevalence of WNV antibodies in migratory and resident birds, captured across Cyprus to assess to what extent human populations might be exposed to WNV. We used Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)(2) to test for the presence of WNV antibodies in 836 avian blood samples of 44 species captured between 2015 and 2020. A seropositivity rate of 1.3 % was found. The majority of seropositive wild birds belonged to the migratory species Sylvia atricapilla, a common and widespread migrant, implying a high risk of WNV being introduced throughout Cyprus.