Epidemiologic, Entomologic, and Virologic Factors of the 2014-15 Ross River Virus Outbreak, Queensland, Australia

Overview

Journal Emerg Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2019 Nov 20

PMID 31742522

Citations 20

Authors

Cassie C Jansen

Martin A Shivas

Fiona J May

Alyssa T Pyke

Michael B Onn

Kerryn Lodo

Sonja Hall-Mendelin

Jamie L McMahon

Brian L Montgomery

Jonathan M Darbro

Stephen L Doggett

Andrew F van den Hurk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Australia experienced its largest recorded outbreak of Ross River virus (RRV) during the 2014-15 reporting year, comprising >10,000 reported cases. We investigated epidemiologic, entomologic, and virologic factors that potentially contributed to the scale of the outbreak in Queensland, the state with the highest number of notifications (6,371). Spatial analysis of human cases showed that notifications were geographically widespread. In Brisbane, human case notifications and virus detections in mosquitoes occurred across inland and coastal locations. Viral sequence data demonstrated 2 RRV lineages (northeastern genotypes I and II) were circulating, and a new strain containing 3 unique amino acid changes in the envelope 2 protein was identified. Longitudinal mosquito collections demonstrated unusually high relative abundance of Culex annulirostris and Aedes procax mosquitoes, attributable to extensive freshwater larval habitats caused by early and persistent rainfall during the reporting year. Increased prevalence of these mosquitoes probably contributed to the scale of this outbreak.

Citing Articles

Long-term co-circulation of multiple arboviruses in southeast Australia revealed by xeno-monitoring and viral whole-genome sequencing.

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Nuclear and mitochondrial population genetics of the Australasian arbovirus vector Culex annulirostris (Skuse) reveals strong geographic structure and cryptic species.

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PMID: 39411152 PMC: 11477980. DOI: 10.1093/ve/veae080.

Mosquito bloodmeals can be used to determine vertebrate diversity, host preference, and pathogen exposure in humans and wildlife.

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