A negative IgM result on an acute-phase specimen strongly suggests absence of WNV infection. A positive IgM result on an acute-phase specimen, accompanied by clinical symptoms consistent with WNV infection, strongly suggests recent infection. In cases of WNV central nervous system (CNS) infection, IgM is almost always detectable on the first day of clinical illness. Detection of WNV IgM in CSF strongly suggests acute CNS infection, as IgM does not easily cross the blood–brain barrier ( Marfin & Petersen 2002).
WNV IgG is often detectable as early as 7 days after illness onset and persists indefinitely. Thus, a positive IgG result with a negative IGM result is consistent with past infection. A negative IgG result combined with a positive IgM result in acute-phase specimens suggests recent infection, as does seroconversion from IgG-negative to -positive status from the acute- to convalescent-phase sample.
False-positive WNV antibody results may occur in individuals infected with or recently vaccinated against flaviviruses such as yellow fever, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis, as well as those with previous WNV infection or current SLE infection.
3. When Jason was feeling at his worst, he had extreme malaise, vomiting, and diarrhea. What stage of the illness was he experiencing at that time? Explain the physiologic mechanisms that give rise to the signs and symptoms of infectious illness.
According to the CDC, 70-80% of people who become infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms (CDC, 2013). The incubation period of WNV to the onswt of symptoms is 2 to 14 days hence most patients with the virus are asymptomatic and various cases go unreported. WNV has 3