viruses Article A Sentinel Serological Study in Selected Zoo Animals to Assess Early Detection of West Nile and Usutu Virus Circulation in Slovenia Pavel Kvapil 1,2,* , Joško Raˇcnik 3, Marjan Kastelic 1, Eva Bártová 2 , Miša Korva 4, Mateja Jelovšek 4 and Tatjana Avšiˇc-Županc 4 1 Veterinary Department, Ljubljana Zoo, VeˇcnaPot 70, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
[email protected] 2 Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tˇr.1946/1, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic;
[email protected] 3 Institute for Poultry, Birds, Small Mammals, and Reptiles, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Gerbiˇceva60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
[email protected] 4 Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
[email protected] (M.K.);
[email protected] (M.J.);
[email protected] (T.A.-Ž.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Monitoring infectious diseases is a crucial part of preventive veterinary medicine in zoological collections. This zoo environment contains a great variety of animal species that are in contact with wildlife species as a potential source of infectious diseases. Wild birds may be a source of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu (USUV) virus, which are both emerging pathogens of rising concern. The aim of this study was to use zoo animals as sentinels for the early detection of WNV Citation: Kvapil, P.; Raˇcnik,J.; and USUV in Slovenia. In total, 501 sera from 261 animals of 84 animal species (including birds, Kastelic, M.; Bártová, E.; Korva, M.; rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, ungulates, reptiles, equids, and primates) collected for 17 years Jelovšek, M.; Avšiˇc-Županc,T.