Lexington, Ky.-Does the increased number of West Nile Virus cases in Kentucky last fall contribute to a rise in abortions during that time period?

The University of Kentucky's Livestock Disease and Diagnostic Center (LDCC) plans to find out with its retrospective study that will be wrapped up early this year. The study is evaluating 400 equine abortions for evidence of WNV.

Lenn Harrison, head of the LDDC, says the findings were "surprising." Of those 400 examined, 35 (about 8.8 percent) had evidence of WNV identified on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

However, researchers and veterinarians are not ruling the findings conclusive of any direct link just yet. They say they have no evidence yet indicating that WNV caused the abortions, only that there was evidence of the virus in the aborted fetuses.

"There is evidence of virus in fetal tissues, but to take a jump to it causing abortion might be too big a jump," says Bill Bernard, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, and president of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners (KAEP).

The study is ongoing to determine the relationship between WNV and abortion.