Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Medicine
Department of Medical Virology
Zoonotic viruses
Members of the flavi- and Togaviridae (Alphavirus genus) and Bunyaviridae families are arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) ssociated with zoonotic disease and in recent years have caused extensive outbreaks as emerging pathogens in areas where they have not previously been considered a problem. Mosquito-borne flaviviruses affecting humans, horses or livestock identified in southern Africa include West Nile, Wesselsbron virus, Spondweni, Zika, Usutu and Banzi virus, whilst alphaviruses isolated in the region include Sindbis, Middleburg and Chikungunya. Bunyaviruses that are known to cause zoonotic disease in Southern Africa include Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (tick-borne), Rift Valley fever (mosquito-borne) and some less characterized viruses. Arboviruses are generally overlooked as causes of neurological disease of human and animals, and we are investigating such cases by PCR, macroarrays, as well as serological techniques to identify known arboviruses as the cause of disease, but aiso to identify new viruses. We are also investigating the distribution and prevalence of antibodies arboviruses in humans, domestic and wild animals in Southern Africa, and studying the mosquito vectors of the viruses
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