Printed From: COVID-19 / South Africa Omicron Variant
Category: Main Forums
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Description: (General discussion regarding the coronavirus pandemic)
URL: http://www.avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=37643 Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 4:51am
Topic: New VirusPosted By: Technophobe
Subject: New Virus
Date Posted: July 24 2018 at 5:07am
UF Researchers Zero in on Potential Threat of New Mosquito Virus
A virus responsible for an illness outbreak in Venezuela is
spreading to other parts of the Americas, says a University of Florida
scientist who is closely monitoring the Mayaro virus. Most recently, the
virus was found in a child in Haiti in 2016.
Even though the virus hasn’t infected anyone in Florida or the U.S.,
Barry Alto, an associate professor of entomology at the UF Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences, is studying whether mosquitoes common in
Florida can transmit the Mayaro virus to humans.
In a new study, Alto and his research group found yellow fever and
Asian tiger mosquitoes – two abundant species in Florida — can carry the
virus.
Mayaro virus is expanding in the Western Hemisphere, Alto said.
That’s reason for some concern, he said. Furthermore, in the past
decade, Florida has experienced outbreaks of other mosquito-borne
viruses, including zika, chikungunya and dengue.
These viruses appeared in other parts of the world – most notably in
the Americas – before they were locally transmitted in Florida, said
Alto, a faculty member with the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology
Laboratory in Vero Beach, Florida.
“Increases in mosquito-borne viruses in the Americas, especially
those transmitted by mosquitoes that live in Florida, increases the risk
of imported and local transmission in the U.S.” Alto said.
“We should probably be moderately concerned that this virus could
show up in Florida,” he said. “Florida’s wet, warm climate and presence
of yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes, coupled with a lot of human
travel, makes the state susceptible to transmission of mosquito-borne
viruses.”
Mayaro virus produces symptoms similar to those of chikungunya,
including fever lasting three to five days, chills, headache, rash and
severe joint pain, which may persist for months, according to a study
led by Baylor University scientists.
For the new study, Alto’s research group conducted experiments with
yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes. They determined infectiousness
of mosquitoes by testing their saliva for Mayaro virus. Infectiousness
is the state in which mosquitoes may transmit the virus by biting other
animals, including humans, Alto said.
Alto and his colleagues, Keenan Wiggins and Bradley Eastmond – who
were Indian River State College students at the time of the study –
found that both mosquito species were highly susceptible to infection
and that the virus readily spreads throughout the mosquitoes’ bodies.
However, far fewer mosquitoes became infectious, Alto said.
The study has been accepted for publication in the journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology.
By mailto:bradbuck@ufl.edu" rel="nofollow - Brad Buck , https://ifas.ufl.edu/" rel="nofollow - University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences