Use of Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnosis of West Nile Virus Infection in Patient Returning to Belgium from Hungary

Wollants, Elke; Smolders, David; Naesens, Reinout; Bruynseels, Peggy; Lagrou, Katrien; Matthijnssens, Jelle; Van Ranst, Marc

doi:10.3201/eid2412.180494

Use of Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnosis of West Nile Virus Infection in Patient Returning to Belgium from Hungary

Author:

Wollants, Elke

Smolders, David ; Naesens, Reinout ; Bruynseels, Peggy ; Lagrou, Katrien ; Matthijnssens, Jelle ; Van Ranst, Marc

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Belgium, Hungary, West Nile virus, complete genome, meningitis/encephalitis, next-generation sequencing, respiratory culture, respiratory infections, vector-borne infections, viruses, Aged, 80 and over, Genome, Viral, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Male, Phylogeny, Travel-Related Illness, West Nile Fever, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1108 Medical Microbiology, 1117 Public Health and Health Services, Microbiology, 3202 Clinical sciences, 4202 Epidemiology, 4203 Health services and systems

Abstract:

An elderly patient in Belgium who became critically ill after returning from Hungary was tested for pathogens using routine diagnostic tests. All results were negative. However, using next-generation sequencing on a cultured respiratory sample, laboratorians detected a complete West Nile virus genome, similar to strains isolated in southeastern Europe.