Zoonotic/Exotic Viruses Flashcards
Zoonoses
Diseases of vertebrate animals that can be transmitted to man; either directly or indirectly through an insect vector (i.e. an Arboviral disease)
Flaviviruses
West Nile Virus
Dengue
Yellow Fever Virus
St. Louis Encephalitis Virus
All are transmitted by MOSQUITOES
West Nile Virus (Life Cycle)
Humans and horses are Incidental/Accidental Hosts
-Do not develop infectious-level (for mosquitoes) viremias
“Dead End Hosts”
BIRDS are the main reservoir hosts and MOSQUITOES act as the vector
West Nile Virus (Transmission)
NO evidence of infection from handling live/dead birds
NO evidence of person-to-person or animal-to-person transmission
- Except from transfusions/organ transplants
- Breastfeeding
West Nile Virus (Clinical Disease)
- Most WNV infections are mild and clinically unapparent
- 20% of those infected develop a mild illness (West Nile Fever) –> incubation period of 3 to 14 days with symptoms lasting 3 to 6 days
- A sudden onset of febrile illness (accompanied by malaise, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, headache (eye pain), myalgia, rash, and lymphadenopathy
West Nile Virus (Severe Disease)
1 in 150 infections will result in severe neurological disease
- Primarily in the ELDERLY
- Encephalitis (mostly) and meningitis
- Fever, headache, weakness, and GI disturbance may accompany the change in mental status
- Ataxia, seizures, disorientation, visual disturbances
- May progress to coma and paralysis
What is the greatest risk for developing neuroinvasive West Nile Virus?
Age (older you are, higher the risk)
West Nile Virus (Diagnosis and Treatment)
Diagnosis:
- Should be strongly considered in adults > 50 years old who develop unexplained encephalitis or meningitis in summer or early fall*
- Clinical suspicion, Serology, and CSF fluid
Treatment:
SUPPORTIVE
Vaccine for horses but NOT humans
St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLE)
MAJOR cause of Arbovirus Encephalitis in the U.S.
Was the big virus before WNV
St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLE) (Transmission)
Transmitted to humans by CULEX MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes acquire virus from infected BIRDS
Horses can serve as reservoirs
Virus levels in humans do not reach levels to support human-to-human transmission via mosquitoes
In temperate areas in the U.S., SLE cases primarily occur in LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL
In southern U.S., cases can occur year round
St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLE) (Disease)
5 to 15 day incubation period
Sudden onset of symptoms
Mild disease
-Fever with headache
Severe disease
-Headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, occasional convulsions (especially in infants) and spastic paralysis
-Fatality rates range from 3% to 30% (highest in aged)
-Neurological sequelae in 10% of infected patients
St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLE) (Diagnosis and Treatment)
NO vaccine
Treatment: Supportive Therapy
95% of severe disease (encephalitis) requires hospitalization
Confirmation of infection is through serological testing
Japanese Encephalitis Virus
Leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia
BIRDS and LIVESTOCK serve as reservoirs
Up to 70% of individuals from endemic regions are SEROPOSITIVE (with most infections being clinically inapparent)
Symptoms: similar to other Arboviral encephalitis
Fatality rate: as high as 30%
30 to 40% of survivors are left with lifelong neurological sequlae
Togaviruses (Alphaviruses) (Transmission and Reservoirs)
Transmission: infected MOSQUITOES
Virus maintained in the wild primarily by infected RODENTS and BIRDS
Major Reservoir: HORSES
Togaviruses (Alphaviruses)
Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (EEE, WEE, and VEE)
EEE and WEE are significant causes of vector borne viral encephalitis in the U.S.
VEE primarily occurs in South and Central America, as well as sporadically in the U.S.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) Virus
Infections occur: Eastern seaboard, Gulf Coast, and some areas of the Midwest
Outbreaks occur primarily in the SUMMER and FALL
Equine (Horse) epidemics are a more common occurrence and usually precede human infections
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) Virus (Disease)
- Incubation of 4-10 days
- Sudden onset of fever, general muscle pains, and a headache of increasing severity
- Many individuals will progress to more severe symptoms such as seizures and coma
- 1/3 of people with clinical encephalitis will die
- Many will suffer PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE
Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) Virus
Infections occur: mainly in western parts of the USA and Canada
***Similar to the EEE virus