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. 2013 Oct;11(4):563–574. doi: 10.2450/2013.0077-13

Table II.

Criteria for case classification of human WNV infections (Commission Decision 2008/426/EC).

Clinical criteria
Any person with fever or one of the following:

  • - Encephalitis

  • - Meningitis

Laboratory criteria
Laboratory test for case confirmation
At least one of the following:

  • - Isolation of WNV from blood/cerebrospinal fluid

  • - Detection of WNV nucleic acid in blood or cerebrospinal fluid

  • - WNV specific antibody response (IgM) in cerebrospinal fluid

  • - WNV IgM high titre and detection of WNV IgG, and confirmation by neutralisation

Laboratory test for a probable case

  • - WNV specific antibody response in serum (Laboratory results need to be interpreted according to flavivirus vaccination status)

Epidemiological criteria
At least one of the following two epidemiological criteria:

  • - Animal to human transmission (residing, having visited or having been exposed to mosquito bites in an area in which WNV is endemic in horses or birds)

  • - Human to human transmission (vertical transmission, blood transfusion, transplants)