Serologic evidence of West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus infections in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from New Jersey, 2001.

Serum samples from 689 hunter-killed white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) collected during the 2001 fall hunting season in New Jersey were tested for neutralizing antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) by plaque-reduction neutralization tests. WNV-neutralizing antibodies were detected in six (0.9%) of the samples, and SLEV-neutralizing antibodies were found in 11 (1.6%) of the samples. We provide the first report of WNV infection in white-tailed deer.