title: Candidate vectors and rodent hosts of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Chiapas, 2006-2007.
abstract: Enzootic Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) has been known to occur in Mexico since the 1960s. The first natural equine epizootic was recognized in Chiapas in 1993 and since then, numerous studies have characterized the etiologic strains, including reverse genetic studies that incriminated a specific mutation that enhanced infection of epizootic mosquito vectors. The aim of this study was to determine the mosquito and rodent species involved in enzootic maintenance of subtype IE VEEV in coastal Chiapas. A longitudinal study was conducted over a year to discern which species and habitats could be associated with VEEV circulation. Antibody was rarely detected in mammals and virus was not isolated from mosquitoes. Additionally, Culex (Melanoconion) taeniopus populations were found to be spatially related to high levels of human and bovine seroprevalence. These mosquito populations were concentrated in areas that appear to represent foci of stable, enzootic VEEV circulation.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA. EDeardorff@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: Eleanor R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Deardorff
authors.forename: Jose G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Estrada-Franco
authors.forename: Jerome E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Freier
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Navarro-Lopez
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Travassos Da Rosa
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002417:Cattle / Q000821:virology; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000821:virology; D006224:Cricetinae / Q000821:virology; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000502:physiology*; D004685:Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008800:Mexico; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology*; D012621:Seasons; D016205:Sigmodontinae / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral