West Nile Virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (approximately 11kb) virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family Flaviviridae, from the genus Flavivirus, which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus is genetically related to the Japanese encephalitis family of viruses.

The WNV genome is first translated into a polyprotein and later cleaved by virus and host proteases into separate proteins (i.e. NS1, C, E, M). The virus' outer protein shell is made of two structural proteins: the glycoprotein E and the small membrane protein M. The RNA genome is bound to capsid (C) proteins to form the nucleocapsid.