[Experimental assessment of the possible significance of argasid ticks in preserving the natural foci of West Nile virus infection].

Experiments indicated that the argasid ticks Alveonasus lahorensis were highly susceptible to West Nile virus when inoculated in the hemocoel. The virus concentration in the ticks reached high values when very low doses (0.01 PFU) of the pathogen were administered. The ticks kept at 3.0 +/- 1.0 degrees C retained the pathogen up to 116 days (a follow-up period). The infection rate of the ticks depending on the virus dose administered was in the range from 12 to 80%. The contaminated specimens successfully transmitted the virus to rabbits by blood suckling. The findings suggest that the argasid ticks may be involved in the preservation of West Nile virus in the interepidemic period and be responsible for the outbreak of this infection in summer and autumn months.