Mosquitoes and Zoonoses Flashcards
When you get bit by a mosquito, is it usually a male or a female?
Female. They are the ones that feed and use energy from the blood to lay eggs.
Who is the most important vectors of human diseases world wide?
Mosquitoes
What mosquito born diseases are true zoonoses?
Rift valley fever, equine encephalitis viruses, WNV, and other flaviviruses.
T/F: Malaria is not a zoonotic disease.
True. It is an anthroponotic disease.
Which equine encephalitis virus is the most fatal?
Eastern equine encephalitis virus, followed by Venezuelan equine encephalitis.
What disease does equine encephalitis cause?
encephalitis and/or febrile disease in both horses and humans.
T/F: Birds are the natural reservoir for EEEV and VEEV.
False. They are the reservoir host for EEEV and WEEV.
Who is the reservoir for VEEV?
rodents are the enzootic reservoir and horses are the epizootic reservoir.
Can incidental hosts infect mosquitoes?
Not usually, however with VEEV humans and horses can get high enough levels to invest mosquitoes.
EEEV epizootic cycles are usually between what hosts? What is special about epizootic infections?
Between birds and incidental hosts, like horses, humans, swine, ratites. Epizootic infections are usually self limiting (since incidental hosts are usually dead end).
If you see a horse become sick with EEEV, what should you prepare yourself for?
To see human infections about 2 weeks later.
T/F: the majority of people affected by EEEV are asymptomatic.
True. 90+% of people with EEEV will be asymptomatic.
What do you expect to see when you do a titer on a horse that has symptoms of EEEV and WEEV?
titers will be very low in both blood and CSF. Why mosquitoes that feed on these infected horses do NOT acquire the virus.
Why then, are you at risk when working in a field that has horses infected with WEEV or EEEV?
Because you are exposed to the mosquito population that infected them in the first place.
Which equine encephalitis virus is reportable?
VEEV. It is a foreign disease
