title: Viruses isolated from mosquitoes collected in Sri Lanka.
abstract: Attempts to isolate viruses from 178,181 unengorged female mosquitoes collected from different ecologic areas of Sri Lanka yielded 31 isolates: 17 of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, nine of Getah virus, three of a Batai-related bunyavirus, and two of Arkonam virus. Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Mansonia uniformis mosquitoes were found to carry JE virus in a dry zone nonepidemic area, and Cx. pseudovishnui was found to carry it in a wet zone nonepidemic area. Japanese encephalitis virus was isolated from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. fuscocephala, and Cx. whitmorei during a human epidemic in the dry zone. Getah virus was isolated from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. fuscocephala collected in the vicinity of swine. Isolations of Getah, Arkonam, and Batai-related viruses from Sri Lanka are reported for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Peiris
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Amerasinghe
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Amerasinghe
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Calisher
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Arunagiri
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Munasingha
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Karunaratne
mesh_terms: D000524:Alphavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D003465:Culex / Q000382:microbiology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D018163:Orbivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016851:Orthobunyavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013188:Sri Lanka