High Seroprevalence Of Jamestown Canyon Virus Antibodies Could Complicate Diagnosis Of Patients With Active Infections, Study Suggests

Healio (4/22, Stulpin) reports a study suggests that “the baseline seroprevalence of Jamestown Canyon virus antibodies in blood donated by people living in endemic areas was relatively high, which could complicate diagnosing people with active infections.” Researchers explained that they “repeatedly saw serological test results showing that symptomatic patients were positive for Jamestown Canyon virus, but their symptoms were more likely related to something else, such as another arbovirus.” They noted that the “detection of Jamestown Canyon virus antibodies might not correlate with acute illness, especially in older patients.” Researchers concluded, “Overall, we recognized a need for a clearer baseline estimate of Jamestown Canyon virus antibodies in people living in areas where this virus was more common so we could better guide recommendations for diagnostic testing and interpretation of results.” The study was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.