Experimental Infection of North American Birds with the New York 1999 Strain of West Nile Virus
To evaluate transmission dynamics, we exposed 25 bird species to West Nile virus (WNV) by infectious mosquito bite.We monitored viremia titers, clinical outcome, WNV shedding (cloacal and oral), seroconversion, virus persistence in organs, and susceptibility to oral and contact transmission.Passeriform and charadriiform birds were more reservoir co