West Nile virus found in Caribbean

Researchers fear tropical birds may face extinction from spread of disease

With the Kansas mosquito season just around the corner, Kansas University researchers have found a new reason to fear the West Nile virus — tropical bird extinctions.

Researchers for the first time have detected the virus, which is borne by mosquitoes and birds, on a Caribbean island.

Detection in the Dominican Republic raised fears the virus would wipe out several species of tropical birds.

“They don’t have as much money as our government does, so it may be harder for them to control,” said Oliver Komar, a graduate research assistant. “We’ve been totally unable to control the spread of the disease in the United States.”

In November, the researchers spent three weeks on Hispaniola, the Caribbean island that contains the Dominican Republic and Haiti. They took blood and tissue samples from birds gathered there and sent them to the federal Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC recently notified the KU scientists that five birds found along the north coast of the Dominican Republic tested positive for the virus. The researchers will return this week for another four weeks of gathering bird samples.

Mark Robbins, collections manager with the KU Natural History Museum, said one bird in particular — Ridgway’s hawk — may face extinction because of the West Nile virus. There are only 50 known pairs of the hawks in the world, all on Hispaniola.

Kansas University bird experts said they’re not sure what to expect from the West Nile virus when mosquitoes re-emerge this spring and summer.Last summer, the virus was found for the first time in Kansas.Mark Robbins, collections manager at the KU Natural History Museum, said some re-searchers had determined mosquito larvae may harbor the virus over the winter, which would mean West Nile again would be present in Kansas.But if that’s not the case, migratory birds may not introduce the virus to the state again this summer.He also said the continuing drought may add to the West Nile problem, because less running water means there are more stagnant creeks where mosquitoes could breed.

“We are deeply concerned about this hawk,” Robbins said.

Other birds also could be threatened. Five endangered bird species live exclusively on Hispaniola, with about 40 others living exclusively on other Caribbean islands. For example, there are only about 20 known Jamaican parrots alive.

Robbins said he expected further testing to show the virus was widespread in the Caribbean. Because birds from the Kansas and Missouri area migrate to Central and South America, he expected researchers would find the virus there, too.

There also are potential consequences to people in the Caribbean. Dominican government officials issued a round of warnings this week, telling people to take precautions against mosquito bites because mosquitoes are known to carry the disease.

¢text Centers for Disease Control information¢text Kansas Department of Health and Environment information

“Just like here in the United States, it doesn’t really kill that many people,” Robbins said. “If you’re a baby or an old person, or you have an immune deficiency problem, you need to be concerned about going in your back yard.”