"Ross River virus"

Synoviocytes assist in modulating the effect of Ross River virus infection in micromass-cultured primary human chondrocytes. Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne virus prevalent in Australia and the islands of the South Pacific, where it causes an arthritogenic illness with a hallmark feature of severe joint pain. The joint space is a unique microenvironment that contains cartilage

Auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs in patients with severe Powassan, Usutu, or Ross River virus disease. Arboviral diseases are a growing global health concern. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) can underlie encephalitis due to West Nile virus (WNV) (∼40% of patients) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, due to TBE virus [TBEV]) (∼10%). We report here that these auto-Abs can also underlie severe forms of rarer arboviral infections. Auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations of IFN-α2, IFN-β, and/or IFN-ω are present in the single case of severe Powassan virus (POWV) encephalitis studied, two of three cases of severe Usutu virus (USUV) infection studied, and the most severe of 24 cases of Ross River virus (RRV) disease studied. These auto-Abs are not found

Ascertainment of community exposure sites to Ross River virus during the 2020 outbreak in Brisbane, Australia. This study investigated potential Ross River virus (RRV) exposure sites in Greater Brisbane during the Queensland COVID-19 lockdown (January-July 2020). Using RRV notifications, cluster identification techniques, and mobile phone data for movement network analysis, the study examined 993

Pentosan polysulfate sodium for Ross River virus-induced arthralgia: a phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Alphaviruses, such as Ross River (RRV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), cause significant global morbidity, with outbreaks of crippling joint inflammation and pain, leaving patients incapacitated for months to years. With no available vaccine or specific therapeutic

Physiology and ecology combine to determine host and vector importance for Ross River virus. Identifying the key vector and host species that drive the transmission of zoonotic pathogens is notoriously difficult but critical for disease control. We present a nested approach for quantifying the importance of host and vectors that integrates species' physiological competence with their ecological traits. We apply this framework to a medically important arbovirus, Ross River virus (RRV), in Brisbane, Australia. We find that vertebrate hosts with high physiological competence are not the most important for community transmission; interactions between hosts and vectors largely underpin the importance of host species. For vectors, physiological competence is highly important. Our results identify

First evidence of concurrent enzootic and endemic transmission of Ross River virus in the absence of marsupial reservoirs in Fiji. Ross River virus (RRV) is a zoonotic alphavirus transmitted by several mosquito species. Until recently, endemic transmission was only considered possible in the presence of marsupial reservoirs. RRV seroprevalence was investigated in placental mammals (including

Spatial and temporal patterns of Ross River virus in south east Queensland, Australia: identification of hot spots at the rural-urban interface. Ross River virus (RRV) is responsible for the most common vector-borne disease of humans reported in Australia. The virus circulates in enzootic cycles between multiple species of mosquitoes, wildlife reservoir hosts and humans. Public health concern

Localized Outbreaks of Epidemic Polyarthritis among Military Personnel Caused by Different Sublineages of Ross River Virus, Northeastern Australia, 2016-2017. Two outbreaks of epidemic polyarthritis occurred among Australian Defence Force personnel during and following short military exercises in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, northeastern Australia, in 2016 and 2017. Ross River virus (RRV

Ross River Virus Antibody Prevalence, Fiji Islands, 2013-2015. A unique outbreak of Ross River virus (RRV) infection was reported in Fiji in 1979. In 2013, RRV seroprevalence among residents was 46.5% (362/778). Of the residents who were seronegative in 2013 and retested in 2015, 10.9% (21/192) had seroconverted to RRV, suggesting ongoing endemic circulation of RRV in Fiji.

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

Mosquito and Virus Surveillance as a Predictor of Human Ross River Virus Infection in South-West Western Australia: How Useful Is It? Mosquito and virus surveillance systems are widely used in Western Australia (WA) to support public health efforts to reduce mosquito-borne disease. However, these programs are costly to maintain on a long-term basis. Therefore, we aimed to assess the validity of mosquito numbers and Ross River virus (RRV) isolates from surveillance trap sites as predictors of human RRV cases in south-west WA between 2003 and 2014. Using negative binomial regression modeling, mosquito surveillance was found to be a useful tool for predicting human RRV cases. In eight of the nine traps, when adjusted for season, there was an increased risk of RRV cases associated with elevated

Prophylactic anti-heparanase activity by PG545 is anti-viral in vitro and protects against Ross River virus disease in mice. Recently we reported on the efficacy of pentosan polysulfate (PPS), a heparan sulfate mimetic, to reduce the recruitment of inflammatory infiltrates and protect the cartilage matrix from degradation in Ross River virus (RRV)-infected PPS-treated mice. Here, we

Ross River virus in Australian blood donors: possible implications for blood transfusion safety. Emerging transfusion-transmissible pathogens, including arboviruses such as West Nile, Zika, dengue, and Ross River viruses, are potential threats to transfusion safety. The most prevalent arbovirus in humans in Australia is Ross River virus (RRV); however, prevalence varies substantially around

Mosquito excreta: A sample type with many potential applications for the investigation of Ross River virus and West Nile virus ecology Emerging and re-emerging arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) cause human and animal disease globally. Field and laboratory investigation of mosquito-borne arboviruses requires analysis of mosquito samples, either individually, in pools, or a body component , or secretion such as saliva. We assessed the applicability of mosquito excreta as a sample type that could be utilized during studies of Ross River and West Nile viruses, which could be applied to the study of other arboviruses. Mosquitoes were fed separate blood meals spiked with Ross River virus and West Nile virus. Excreta was collected daily by swabbing the bottom of containers containing batches

Temperature explains broad patterns of Ross River virus transmission Thermal biology predicts that vector-borne disease transmission peaks at intermediate temperatures and declines at high and low temperatures. However, thermal optima and limits remain unknown for most vector-borne pathogens. We built a mechanistic model for the thermal response of Ross River virus, an important mosquito-borne

Decreased Virulence of Ross River Virus Harboring a Mutation in the First Cleavage Site of Nonstructural Polyprotein Is Caused by a Novel Mechanism Leading to Increased Production of Interferon-Inducing RNAs Infection with Ross River virus (RRV) causes debilitating polyarthritis and arthralgia in individuals. Alphaviruses are highly sensitive to type I interferon (IFN). Mutations by the medically important alphaviruses Ross River virus (RRV) and Sindbis virus (SINV). By characterizing attenuated RRV mutants, the crucial role of amino acid residues in P1 and P3 positions (the first and third amino acid residues preceding the scissile bond) of the cleavage site between nsP1 and nsP2 regions was highlighted. The study uncovers a unique relationship between alphavirus nonstructural

Hydrological features and the ecological niches of mammalian hosts delineate elevated risk for Ross River virus epidemics in anthropogenic landscapes in Australia The current understanding of the landscape epidemiology of Ross River virus (RRV), Australia's most common arthropod-borne pathogen, is fragmented due to gaps in surveillance programs and the relatively narrow focus of the research

Increased Proinflammatory Cytokine Levels in Prolonged Arthralgia in Ross River Virus Infection. Ross River virus, a mosquitoborne alphavirus, causes epidemic polyarthritis in Australia and the Pacific region. We analyzed serum cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor levels in travelers returning to Germany from Australia. Serum samples showed elevated concentrations in the acute phase

Ross River Virus Seroprevalence, French Polynesia, 2014-2015. Ross River virus (RRV), spread by Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, is the most commonly transmitted arbovirus in Australia. A serosurvey of blood donors in French Polynesia during 2011-2013 suggested that RRV circulated without being detected. We report RRV circulation in French Polynesia based on further screening of blood samples

Ross River virus and the necessity of multi-scale, eco-epidemiological analyses. Zoonotic vector-borne disease prevalence is affected by vector, human, and reservoir host factors, which are influenced by habitat and climate; these 5 components interact on microhabitat-to-landscape scales but are often analyzed at a single spatial scale. We present an information theoretic, multiscale, multiple regression analysis of the ecological drivers of Ross River virus. We analyze the spatial pattern of 20 years of Ross River virus infections from South Australia (1992-2012; n = 5261), using variables across these 5 components of disease ecology at 3 spatial scales. We found that covariate importance depended on the spatial scale of the analysis; some biotic variables were more important at fine scales