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Comparative Medicine Jun 2017Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have continued to emerge in recent years, posing a significant health threat to millions of people worldwide. The majority of... (Review)
Review
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have continued to emerge in recent years, posing a significant health threat to millions of people worldwide. The majority of arboviruses that are pathogenic to humans are transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks, but other types of arthropod vectors can also be involved in the transmission of these viruses. To alleviate the health burdens associated with arbovirus infections, it is necessary to focus today's research on disease control and therapeutic strategies. Animal models for arboviruses are valuable experimental tools that can shed light on the pathophysiology of infection and will enable the evaluation of future treatments and vaccine candidates. Ideally an animal model will closely mimic the disease manifestations observed in humans. In this review, we outline the currently available animal models for several viruses vectored by mosquitoes, ticks, and midges, for which there are no standardly available vaccines or therapeutics.
Topics: Animals; Arboviruses; Disease Models, Animal; Research Design
PubMed: 28662752
DOI: No ID Found -
Current Opinion in Virology Feb 2020We review and contrast the evidence for an effect of amplifying host herd immunity on circulation and human exposure to arboviruses. Herd immunity of short-lived West... (Review)
Review
We review and contrast the evidence for an effect of amplifying host herd immunity on circulation and human exposure to arboviruses. Herd immunity of short-lived West Nile virus avian amplifying hosts appears to play a limited role in levels of enzootic circulation and spillover infections of humans, which are not amplifiers. In contrast, herd immunity of nonhuman primate hosts for enzootic Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses is much stronger and appears to regulate to a large extent the periodicity of sylvatic amplification in Africa. Following the recent Zika and chikungunya pandemics, human herd immunity in the Americas quickly rose to ∼50% in many regions, although seroprevalence remains patchy. Modeling from decades of chikungunya circulation in Asia suggests that this level of herd immunity will suppress for many years major chikungunya and Zika epidemics in the Americas, followed by smaller outbreaks as herd immunity cycles with a periodicity of up to several decades.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Humans; Immunity, Herd
PubMed: 32193135
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.02.004 -
Current Opinion in Virology Feb 2020Climate change is leading to increases in global temperatures and erratic precipitation patterns, both of which are contributing to the expansion of mosquito-borne... (Review)
Review
Climate change is leading to increases in global temperatures and erratic precipitation patterns, both of which are contributing to the expansion of mosquito-borne arboviruses and the populations of the mosquitos that vector them. Herein, we review recent evidence of emergence and expansion of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitos that has been driven in part by environmental changes. We present as a case study of recent work from Córdoba, Argentina, where dengue has been actively emerging in the past decade. We review recent empirical and modeling studies that aim to understand the impact of climate on future expansion of arboviruses, and we highlight gaps in empirical studies linking climate to arbovirus transmission at regional levels.
Topics: Aedes; Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Climate Change; Humans; Mosquito Vectors
PubMed: 32569752
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.05.001 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2015Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are maintained in a cycle of alternating transmission between vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors. Arboviruses possess RNA... (Review)
Review
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are maintained in a cycle of alternating transmission between vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors. Arboviruses possess RNA genomes capable of rapid diversification and adaptation, and the between-host trade-offs inherent to host alternation impose well-documented constraints on arbovirus evolution. Here, we investigate the less well-studied within-host trade-offs that shape arbovirus replication dynamics and transmission. Arboviruses generally establish lifelong infection in vectors but transient infection of variable magnitude (i.e. peak virus concentration) and duration in vertebrate hosts. In the majority of experimental infections of vertebrate hosts, both the magnitude and duration of arbovirus replication depended upon the dose of virus administered, with increasing dose resulting in greater magnitude but shorter duration of viraemia. This pattern suggests that the vertebrate immune response imposes a trade-off between the height and breadth of the virus replication curve. To investigate the impact of this trade-off on transmission, we used a simple modelling approach to contrast the effect of 'tortoise' (low magnitude, long duration viraemia) and 'hare' (high magnitude, short duration viraemia) arbovirus replication strategies on transmission. This model revealed that, counter to previous theory, arboviruses that adopt a tortoise strategy have higher rates of persistence in both host and vector populations.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Arthropod Vectors; Evolution, Molecular; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Models, Biological; Time Factors; Viremia; Virus Replication
PubMed: 26150665
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0299 -
Trends in Parasitology Apr 2018Arboviruses such as West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fever viruses have become highly significant global pathogens through unexpected, explosive... (Review)
Review
Arboviruses such as West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fever viruses have become highly significant global pathogens through unexpected, explosive outbreaks. While the rapid progression and frequency of recent arbovirus outbreaks is associated with long-term changes in human behavior (globalization, urbanization, climate change), there are direct mosquito-virus interactions which drive shifts in host range and alter virus transmission. This review summarizes how virus-mosquito interactions are critical for these viruses to become global pathogens at molecular, physiological, evolutionary, and epidemiological scales. Integrated proactive approaches are required in order to effectively manage the emergence of mosquito-borne arboviruses, which appears likely to continue into the indefinite future.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Mosquito Vectors
PubMed: 29305089
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.12.004 -
MSphere Sep 2020Traditional screening for arboviruses in mosquitoes requires knowledge and the utilization of appropriate assays for their detection. Mosquitoes can also provide other...
Traditional screening for arboviruses in mosquitoes requires knowledge and the utilization of appropriate assays for their detection. Mosquitoes can also provide other valuable information, including unexpected or novel arboviruses, nonarboviral pathogens ingested from hosts they feed on, and their own genetic material. Metagenomic analysis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a rapidly advancing technology that allows us to potentially obtain all this information from a mosquito sample without any prior knowledge of virus, host, or vector. Moreover, it has been recently demonstrated that pathogens, including arboviruses and parasites, can be detected in mosquito excreta by molecular methods. In this study, we investigated whether RNA viruses could be detected in mosquito excreta by NGS. Excreta samples were collected from and experimentally exposed to either Ross River or West Nile viruses and from field mosquitoes collected across Queensland, Australia. Total RNA was extracted from the excreta samples, reverse transcribed to cDNA, and sequenced using the Illumina NextSeq 500 platform. Bioinformatic analyses from the generated reads demonstrate that mosquito excreta provide sufficient RNA for NGS, allowing the assembly of near-full-length viral genomes. We detected Australian Anopheles totivirus, Wuhan insect virus 33, and Hubei odonate virus 5 and identified seven potentially novel viruses closely related to members of the order (2/7) and to previously described, but unclassified, RNA viruses (5/7). Our results suggest that metagenomic analysis of mosquito excreta has great potential for virus discovery and for unbiased arbovirus surveillance in the near future. When a mosquito feeds on a host, it ingests not only its blood meal but also an assortment of microorganisms that are present in the blood, thus acting as an environmental sampler. By using specific tests, it is possible to detect arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) like dengue and West Nile viruses in mosquito excreta. Here, we explored the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for unbiased detection of RNA viruses present in excreta from experimentally infected and field-collected mosquitoes. We have demonstrated that mosquito excreta provide a suitable template for NGS and that it is possible to recover and assemble near-full-length genomes of both arboviruses and insect-borne viruses, including potentially novel ones. These results importantly show the direct practicality of the use of mosquito excreta for NGS, which in the future could be used for virus discovery, environmental virome sampling, and arbovirus surveillance.
Topics: Aedes; Animals; Arboviruses; Australia; Culex; Feces; Genome, Viral; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Insect Viruses; Metagenomics; Virome
PubMed: 32907949
DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00587-20 -
Plant Signaling & Behavior Jun 2013Aphids infest many plants and cause damage by depriving them of nutrients and by transmitting many viral diseases. Aphid infestation and arbovirus transmission are... (Review)
Review
Aphids infest many plants and cause damage by depriving them of nutrients and by transmitting many viral diseases. Aphid infestation and arbovirus transmission are controlled by establishment (or not) of a compatible reaction between the insects and the plants. This reaction is the result of defense reactions of the plant and counter-defense reactions of the parasite. Contrarily to plant-bacteria, plant-fungi and plant-herbivorous insects pathosystems, the plant-aphid pathosystem is understudied, although recent advances have begun to uncover some of its details. Especially the very early steps in plant-aphid interactions are hardly known. We here resume the present knowledge of these interactions. We discuss further how an aphid-transmitted plant virus that is transmitted during the first moments of the plant-aphid encounter, might help to study the very early plant aphid interactions.
Topics: Animals; Aphids; Arboviruses; Herbivory; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Diseases; Plants
PubMed: 23518584
DOI: 10.4161/psb.24225 -
Viruses Nov 2021The aim of this review is to follow the history of studies on endemiv arboviruses and the diseases they cause which were detected in the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia... (Review)
Review
The aim of this review is to follow the history of studies on endemiv arboviruses and the diseases they cause which were detected in the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (i.e., the Czech Republic)). The viruses involve tick-borne encephalitis, West Nile and Usutu flaviviruses; the Sindbis alphavirus; Ťahyňa, Batai, Lednice and Sedlec bunyaviruses; the Uukuniemi phlebovirus; and the Tribeč orbivirus. Arboviruses temporarily imported from abroad to the Czech Republic have been omitted. This brief historical review includes a bibliography of all relevant papers.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Czech Republic; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans
PubMed: 34835140
DOI: 10.3390/v13112334 -
Viruses Jan 2019Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses that exhibit worldwide distribution and are a constant threat, not only for public health but also for wildlife, domestic... (Review)
Review
Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses that exhibit worldwide distribution and are a constant threat, not only for public health but also for wildlife, domestic animals, and even plants. To study disease pathogenesis and to develop efficient and safe therapies, the use of an appropriate animal model is a critical concern. Adult mice with gene knockouts of the interferon α/β (IFN-α/β) receptor (IFNAR(-/-)) have been described as a model of arbovirus infections. Studies with the natural hosts of these viruses are limited by financial and ethical issues, and in some cases, the need to have facilities with a biosafety level 3 with sufficient space to accommodate large animals. Moreover, the number of animals in the experiments must provide results with statistical significance. Recent advances in animal models in the last decade among other gaps in knowledge have contributed to the better understanding of arbovirus infections. A tremendous advantage of the IFNAR(-/-) mouse model is the availability of a wide variety of reagents that can be used to study many aspects of the immune response to the virus. Although extrapolation of findings in mice to natural hosts must be done with care due to differences in the biology between mouse and humans, experimental infections of IFNAR(-/-) mice with several studied arboviruses closely mimics hallmarks of these viruses in their natural host. Therefore, IFNAR(-/-) mice are a good model to facilitate studies on arbovirus transmission, pathogenesis, virulence, and the protective efficacy of new vaccines. In this review article, the most important arboviruses that have been studied using the IFNAR(-/-) mouse model will be reviewed.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Interferon-alpha; Interferon-beta; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta; Virus Replication
PubMed: 30625992
DOI: 10.3390/v11010035 -
Viruses Jan 2020The risk of emergence and/or re-emergence of arthropod-borne viral (arboviral) infections is rapidly growing worldwide, particularly in Africa. The burden of arboviral... (Review)
Review
The risk of emergence and/or re-emergence of arthropod-borne viral (arboviral) infections is rapidly growing worldwide, particularly in Africa. The burden of arboviral infections and diseases is not well scrutinized because of the inefficient surveillance systems in endemic countries. Furthermore, the health systems are fully occupied by the burden of other co-existing febrile illnesses, especially malaria. In this review we summarize the epidemiology and risk factors associated with the major human arboviral diseases and highlight the gap in knowledge, research, and control in Sudan. Published data in English up to March 2019 were reviewed and are discussed to identify the risks and challenges for the control of arboviruses in the country. In addition, the lack of suitable diagnostic tools such as viral genome sequencing, and the urgent need for establishing a genomic database of the circulating viruses and potential sources of entry are discussed. Moreover, the research and healthcare gaps and global health threats are analyzed, and suggestions for developing strategic health policy for the prevention and control of arboviruses with focus on building the local diagnostic and research capacity and establishing an early warning surveillance system for the early detection and containment of arboviral epidemics are offered.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Arthropod Vectors; Biomedical Research; Communicable Disease Control; Epidemics; Genome, Viral; Humans; Risk Factors; Sudan
PubMed: 31936607
DOI: 10.3390/v12010081