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Current Opinion in Pediatrics Apr 2023Dengue, chikungunya and zika have caused significant epidemics in the Caribbean in recent years. This review highlights their impact in Caribbean children. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Dengue, chikungunya and zika have caused significant epidemics in the Caribbean in recent years. This review highlights their impact in Caribbean children.
RECENT FINDINGS
Dengue has been increasingly intense and severe, seroprevalence is 80-100% in the Caribbean, children have increased attributable morbidity and mortality. Severe dengue, especially dengue with haemorrhage was significantly associated with haemoglobin SC disease and multiple organ-systems involved. These included the gastrointestinal and haematologic systems with extremely high lactate dehydrogenases and creatinine phosphokinases and severely abnormal bleeding indices. Despite appropriate interventions, mortality was highest within the first 48 h of admission. Chikungunya, a togavirus, affected 80% of some Caribbean populations. Paediatric presentations included high fever, skin, joint and neurological manifestations. Children less than 5 years of age had the highest morbidity and mortality. This maiden chikungunya epidemic was explosive and overwhelmed public health systems. Zika, another flavivirus, has a seroprevalence of 15% in pregnancy, so the Caribbean remains susceptible. Paediatric complications include pregnancy losses, stillbirths, Congenital Zika syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis. Neurodevelopment stimulation programs for zika-exposed infants have been effective in improving language and positive behaviour scores.
SUMMARY
Caribbean children remain at risk for dengue, chikungunya and zika, with high attributable morbidity and mortality.
Topics: Child; Humans; Zika Virus Infection; Chikungunya Fever; Dengue; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Arbovirus Infections; Zika Virus; Caribbean Region
PubMed: 36801979
DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000001229 -
Antiviral Research Feb 2010Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are important causes of human disease nearly worldwide. All arboviruses circulate among wild animals, and many cause disease after... (Review)
Review
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are important causes of human disease nearly worldwide. All arboviruses circulate among wild animals, and many cause disease after spillover transmission to humans and agriculturally important domestic animals that are incidental or dead-end hosts. Viruses such as dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) that have lost the requirement for enzootic amplification now produce extensive epidemics in tropical urban centers. Many arboviruses recently have increased in importance as human and veterinary pathogens using a variety of mechanisms. Beginning in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) underwent a dramatic geographic expansion into the Americas. High amplification associated with avian virulence coupled with adaptation for replication at higher temperatures in mosquito vectors, has caused the largest epidemic of arboviral encephalitis ever reported in the Americas. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), the most frequent arboviral cause of encephalitis worldwide, has spread throughout most of Asia and as far south as Australia from its putative origin in Indonesia and Malaysia. JEV has caused major epidemics as it invaded new areas, often enabled by rice culture and amplification in domesticated swine. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), another arbovirus that infects humans after amplification in domesticated animals, undergoes epizootic transmission during wet years following droughts. Warming of the Indian Ocean, linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation in the Pacific, leads to heavy rainfall in east Africa inundating surface pools and vertically infected mosquito eggs laid during previous seasons. Like WNV, JEV and RVFV could become epizootic and epidemic in the Americas if introduced unintentionally via commerce or intentionally for nefarious purposes. Climate warming also could facilitate the expansion of the distributions of many arboviruses, as documented for bluetongue viruses (BTV), major pathogens of ruminants. BTV, especially BTV-8, invaded Europe after climate warming and enabled the major midge vector to expand is distribution northward into southern Europe, extending the transmission season and vectorial capacity of local midge species. Perhaps the greatest health risk of arboviral emergence comes from extensive tropical urbanization and the colonization of this expanding habitat by the highly anthropophilic (attracted to humans) mosquito, Aedes aegypti. These factors led to the emergence of permanent endemic cycles of urban DENV and CHIKV, as well as seasonal interhuman transmission of yellow fever virus. The recent invasion into the Americas, Europe and Africa by Aedes albopictus, an important CHIKV and secondary DENV vector, could enhance urban transmission of these viruses in tropical as well as temperate regions. The minimal requirements for sustained endemic arbovirus transmission, adequate human viremia and vector competence of Ae. aegypti and/or Ae. albopictus, may be met by two other viruses with the potential to become major human pathogens: Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, already an important cause of neurological disease in humans and equids throughout the Americas, and Mayaro virus, a close relative of CHIKV that produces a comparably debilitating arthralgic disease in South America. Further research is needed to understand the potential of these and other arboviruses to emerge in the future, invade new geographic areas, and become important public and veterinary health problems.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Climate Change; Humans; Urbanization; Virulence; Zoonoses
PubMed: 19857523
DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2009.10.008 -
Cell Host & Microbe Jan 2019Mosquitoes are hematophagous vectors that can acquire human viruses in their intestinal tract. Here, we define a mosquito gut commensal bacterium that promotes...
Mosquitoes are hematophagous vectors that can acquire human viruses in their intestinal tract. Here, we define a mosquito gut commensal bacterium that promotes permissiveness to arboviruses. Antibiotic depletion of gut bacteria impaired arboviral infection of a lab-adapted Aedes aegypti mosquito strain. Reconstitution of individual cultivable gut bacteria in antibiotic-treated mosquitoes identified Serratia marcescens as a commensal bacterium critical for efficient arboviral acquisition. S. marcescens facilitates arboviral infection through a secreted protein named SmEnhancin, which digests membrane-bound mucins on the mosquito gut epithelia, thereby enhancing viral dissemination. Field Aedes mosquitoes positive for S. marcescens were more permissive to dengue virus infection than those free of S. marcescens. Oral introduction of S. marcescens into field mosquitoes that lack this bacterium rendered these mosquitoes highly susceptible to arboviruses. This study defines a commensal-driven mechanism that contributes to vector competence, and extends our understanding of multipartite interactions among hosts, the gut microbiome, and viruses.
Topics: Aedes; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Culicidae; Dengue Virus; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Insect Vectors; Microbial Interactions; Mosquito Vectors; Permissiveness; Serratia marcescens
PubMed: 30595552
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.004 -
Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.) Dec 2015Arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus) infections are increasingly important causes of neurologic disease in the United States through both endemic transmission and... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus) infections are increasingly important causes of neurologic disease in the United States through both endemic transmission and travel-associated infections. This article reviews the major arbovirus infections that can cause neurologic disease likely to be encountered in the United States.
RECENT FINDINGS
West Nile virus continues to be an important cause of epidemic encephalitis, while emerging arbovirus infections such as dengue and chikungunya have rapidly expanded their geographic distribution. As emerging arboviruses expand in new geographic regions, neurologic abnormalities are reported in new patient populations.
SUMMARY
Emerging arbovirus infections are increasingly important causes of neurologic disease throughout the world and in the United States. While no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapy is yet available for these infections, prompt recognition and diagnosis from the consulting neurologist will ensure appropriate supportive care for the patient.
Topics: Arbovirus Infections; Humans; Nervous System Diseases
PubMed: 26633778
DOI: 10.1212/CON.0000000000000240 -
Current Opinion in Virology Dec 2015Arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses infect hematophagous arthropods (vectors) to maintain virus transmission between vertebrate hosts. The mosquito vector actively controls... (Review)
Review
Arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses infect hematophagous arthropods (vectors) to maintain virus transmission between vertebrate hosts. The mosquito vector actively controls arbovirus infection to minimize its fitness costs. The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is the major antiviral response vectors use to restrict arbovirus infections. We know this because depleting RNAi gene products profoundly impacts arbovirus replication, the antiviral RNAi pathway genes undergo positive, diversifying selection and arboviruses have evolved strategies to evade the vector's RNAi responses. The vector's RNAi defense and arbovirus countermeasures lead to an arms race that prevents potential virus-induced fitness costs yet maintains arbovirus infections needed for transmission. This review will discuss the latest findings in RNAi-arbovirus interactions in the model insect (Drosophila melanogaster) and in specific mosquito vectors.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Arthropod Vectors; Culicidae; DNA, Viral; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Immunity, Innate; Models, Animal; RNA Interference; RNA, Small Interfering; RNA, Viral; Virus Replication
PubMed: 26629932
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2015.10.001 -
Journal of Biomedicine & Biotechnology 2012
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Insect Vectors
PubMed: 22665984
DOI: 10.1155/2012/512969 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Mar 2018Nutrition is a key factor in host-pathogen defense. Malnutrition can increase both host susceptibility and severity of infection through a number of pathways, and... (Review)
Review
Nutrition is a key factor in host-pathogen defense. Malnutrition can increase both host susceptibility and severity of infection through a number of pathways, and infection itself can promote nutritional deterioration and further susceptibility. Nutritional status can also strongly influence response to vaccination or therapeutic pharmaceuticals. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have a long history of infecting humans, resulting in regular pandemics as well as an increasing frequency of autochthonous transmission. Interestingly, aside from host-related factors, nutrition could also play a role in the competence of vectors required for transmission of these viruses. Nutritional status of the host and vector could even influence viral evolution itself. Therefore, it is vital to understand the role of nutrition in the arbovirus lifecycle. This Review will focus on nutritional factors that could influence susceptibility and severity of infection in the host, response to prophylactic and therapeutic strategies, vector competence, and viral evolution.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Culicidae; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Insect Vectors; Nutritional Status
PubMed: 29596427
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006247 -
Current Opinion in Insect Science Aug 2018Experimental infections of insects with arboviruses are performed to achieve a variety of objectives but principally to draw inferences about the potential role of field... (Review)
Review
Experimental infections of insects with arboviruses are performed to achieve a variety of objectives but principally to draw inferences about the potential role of field populations in transmission or to explore the molecular basis of vector-pathogen interactions. The design of such studies determines both their reproducibility and the extent to which their results can be extrapolated to natural environments, and is constrained by the resources available. We discuss recent findings regarding the effects of nutrition, the microbiome, co-infecting agents and feeding methods on the outcome of such experiments, and identify resource-efficient ways to increase their relevance and reproducibility, including the development of community standards for reporting such studies and better standards for cell line and colony authentication.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Insect Vectors; Insecta; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 30551760
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.007 -
Viruses Sep 2019Mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs) are a subset of insect-specific viruses that are found to infect mosquitoes or mosquito derived cells. There has been an increase in... (Review)
Review
Mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs) are a subset of insect-specific viruses that are found to infect mosquitoes or mosquito derived cells. There has been an increase in discoveries of novel MSVs in recent years. This has expanded our understanding of viral diversity and evolution but has also sparked questions concerning the transmission of these viruses and interactions with their hosts and its microbiome. In fact, there is already evidence that MSVs interact with the immune system of their host. This is especially interesting, since mosquitoes can be infected with both MSVs and arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses of public health concern. In this review, we give an update on the different MSVs discovered so far and describe current data on their transmission and interaction with the mosquito immune system as well as the effect MSVs could have on an arboviruses-co-infection. Lastly, we discuss potential uses of these viruses, including vector and transmission control.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Culicidae; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Insect Viruses; Mosquito Vectors
PubMed: 31533367
DOI: 10.3390/v11090873 -
Viruses Mar 2022Arthropod-borne viruses (Arbovirus) is an ecological term defining viruses that are maintained in nature through biological transmission between a susceptible vertebrate...
Arthropod-borne viruses (Arbovirus) is an ecological term defining viruses that are maintained in nature through biological transmission between a susceptible vertebrate host and a hematophagous arthropod such as a mosquito [...].
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Arthropods; Culicidae; Vertebrates
PubMed: 35337052
DOI: 10.3390/v14030645