ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2026
Association of avian biodiversity and West Nile Virus circulation in Culex mosquitoes in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- West Nile Virus in Horses as a Sentinel Host in One Health Surveillance: Epidemiological Insights and Future Perspectives.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Correction: Association of avian biodiversity and West Nile Virus circulation in Culex mosquitoes in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Diagnosis and Surveillance of West Nile Virus Infection in Horses: Current Methods, Challenges, and Future Directions.Veterinary sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWest Nile Virus (WNV) is a zoonotic arbovirus maintained in a transmission cycle between Culex mosquitoes and birds, occasionally spilling over into humans. The impact of avian biodiversity on WNV circulation remains debated, with studies reporting both negative and positive correlations (dilution and amplification effects respectively) across different settings. In Europe, this relationship remains largely unexplored, particularly in regions with high WNV transmission, such as Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy.
methodsWe explored the association between avian biodiversity and WNV circulation in Culex mosquitoes in Emilia-Romagna using 11 years (2013-2023) of entomological surveillance data paired with two avian data sources. We calculated avian biodiversity indices (Shannon's, Simpson's, and Chao2) from observation records from the Farmland Bird Index project and applied linear regression models to assess their relationship with WNV detection frequency. Moreover, we used Bayesian spatiotemporal regression models and gridded weekly avian abundance estimates from the eBird project to analyse the associations between avian species richness indices and WNV transmission risk quantified by vector index (VI) at 68 geolocated mosquito traps across the region.
resultsWe observed consistent negative associations between WNV detection frequency in the Culex population and avian biodiversity indices, supporting the dilution effect hypothesis (DEH). We found that non-passerine species richness was negatively associated with VI while passerine species richness showed a positive association after adjusting for covariates and spatial random effects. These findings suggest that passerines may amplify WNV transmission, whereas the presence of non-passerine species is associated with reductions in WNV circulation. SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides the first empirical evidence supporting the DEH for WNV in Europe. These findings have important implications for biodiversity conservation and integrated public health surveillance activities across Europe.
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