Arboviruses are transmitted by arthropods, including mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies. Some can cause serious infections, such as encephalitis and viral hemorrhagic fever. Prevention includes using insecticides, repellents, and protective clothing, and eliminating breeding grounds.
Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by arthropods, the phylum of animals that includes insects. The word arbovirus is a shortened form of arthropod-borne virus. Many medically important arboviruses are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies or sandflies. Insects cause infection through their bite, introducing the virus into the bloodstream. The families of arboviruses are Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, Reoviridae and Togaviridae.
Most arboviruses do not affect humans or cause only mild effects, such as a rash or fever. However, some forms of arboviruses can cause very serious infections and even lead to death. Many forms of arboviruses that affect humans are also common among pets, and insects are responsible for the transmission of disease between animals and humans.
Some common arboviruses that can cause encephalitis, or brain swelling, include West Nile virus, different strains of equine encephalitis virus, and St. Louis encephalitis virus, all of which are transmitted by mosquitoes. As the name suggests, equine encephalitis virus also commonly infects horses. Tick-borne encephalitis virus causes similar symptoms to mosquito-born encephalitis arboviruses.
Other arboviruses cause viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), a disease characterized by high fever, bleeding disorders, hallucinations, vomiting, and diarrhea. Examples are dengue fever or bone fracture and yellow fever, both transmitted by mosquitoes, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and Colorado fever, both transmitted by ticks. Arboviruses carried by plebotomines, commonly called sandflies, are collectively classified as phleboviruses. One of the best known phleboviruses is the Toscana virus, which presents symptoms ranging from fever to encephalitis and meningtis, inflammation of the meninges, membranes that surround the brain.
Children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are often particularly susceptible to arbovirus infection. Some arboviruses currently have no cure, although the immune system can often defend itself against the disease. Arbovirus infection can be prevented by using insecticides and insect repellents, wearing protective clothing, and eliminating the breeding grounds of arbovirus-carrying insects.
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