Circulation of eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, Ilhéus, Maguari and Tacaiuma viruses in equines of the Brazilian Pantanal, South America

Neutralizing antibodies to EEE (6.7), WEE (1.2), ILH (26.6), MAG (28.2) and TCM (15.7) viruses were found in sera of 432 equines of the Brazilian Pantanal, area where undiagnosed horse deaths are frequently observed. A 4-fold rise in CF titer to EEE virus was detected in acute and convalescent sera of an encephalitis horse sacrificed in 1992. Antibodies to EEE, ILH, MAG and TCM viruses were detected in horses less than 2 years old indicating recent circulation of these viruses in the Pantanal. The evidence of recent equine encephalitis associated with rising CF titer to EEE warrants a more intensive study with attempts to isolate virus from horses with clinical manifestations of encephalitis.