Ross River Virus (RRV), a small ARBO virus in Togaviridae
was found to be much more prevalent in the American Samoa than previously
predicted, leaving researchers wondering if RRV could someday become the new
global virus to watch out for.
Ross River Virus originated in marsupials in Australia, and
is spread by mosquito vectors to marsupial and human hosts. In 55-75% of hosts,
the virus is asymptomatic. But for others, the vector is characterized by joint
pain, fever, rash, myalgia, and swollen
lymph nodes. For an unfortunate few, the arthritis can continue for months or
years, and can be incredibly painful and debilitating.
From 1979-1980 a large epidemic of Ross River Fever broke
out in Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The epidemic is thought to
have been caused by an infected Australian who travelled to Fiji, and it was
known that for a short period of time, the virus could be sustained between
non-marsupial hosts and spread with mosquito vectors. It was thought that the virus could not
survive being spread from human to human for long, and since the 1980 outbreak,
RRV has not been routinely seen in people in these regions.
However, in a recent serological study into individuals in
the American Samoa it was found that 74% had IgG antibodies for RRV, a much higher
rate than could have existed had people only been infected with the virus
during its epidemic outbreak. This suggests that RRV has a much larger geographical
spread than has previously been recognized, and also that it can be sustained
in areas without marsupial hosts. It is possible that non-human mammals like
dogs, mice, or cats are perpetuating the virus, although animal studies have
not yet been performed.
This study could mean that Ross River Virus has the ability
to become a virus endemic in areas that researchers never before expected. It
is easy to draw a thread between this virus and Zika, another virus that until
recently was seen as obscure and a non-threat to global human health. It is
likely that this finding will spur many more studies into the virulence and
possible consequences of a large RRV outbreak.
Elisa Hofmeister ’18
Citations :
Colleen Lau, Maite Aubry, Didier Musso, Anita Teissier,
Sylvie Paulous, Philippe Desprès, Xavier de-Lamballerie, Boris Pastorino,
Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau, Philip Weinstein. New evidence for endemic circulation
of Ross River Virus in the Pacific Islands and the potential for emergence.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2017.01.041
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170222083110.htm
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