Cross-sectional study reveals West Nile virus antibody prevalence in farmed horses, highlighting their utility as sentinel indicators for disease surveillance.
This study presents the first investigation of West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence among farmed horses in Kazakhstan. In 2024, a total of 368 serum samples were collected from horses across 106 settlements in 10 regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antibodies to WNV were detected in 32 horses (8.7%; 95% CI: 6.2–12.0%) from six regions. Among the seropositive animals, 26 (81.25%) were females and 6 (18.75%) were males, ranging in age from 1 to 19 years. No statistically significant association between sex and the presence of antibodies to WNV was found in any of the six regions. Significant differences between age groups were observed in Aktobe (χ2 = 12.16; p = 0.002) and Turkestan (χ2 = 4.20; p = 0.040). In the remaining regions (Almaty, Zhetisu, West Kazakhstan, and Atyrau), no significant age-related differences were recorded (p > 0.05). These findings confirm the circulation of WNV among horse populations in Kazakhstan and highlight the practical value and effectiveness of using horses as sentinel indicators for WNV surveillance.
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Alibekova et al. (2025) studied this question.
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