title: Japanese encephalitis virus in culicine mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected at Daeseongdong, a village in the demilitarized zone of the Republic of Korea.
abstract: In total, 22,846 (17,793 culicines and 5,053 Anopheles spp.) female mosquitoes were captured by a Mosquito Magnet trap at Daeseongdong, a small village adjacent to the military demarcation line (center of the demilitarized zone) in northern Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). Culicine mosquitoes were identified to species, placed in pools of up to 30 mosquitoes each, and screened for flavivirus using a SYBR Green I-based real-time polymerase chain reaction. In total, 51/660 pools positive for flaviviruses and confirmed by DNA sequencing of the NS5 region, were positive for Japanese encephalitis virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, JEV) (50 Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and one Culex bitaeniorhynchus Giles). The JEV maximum likelihood estimations (MLEs) (estimated number of viral RNA-positive mosquitoes per 1,000) for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. bitaeniorhynchus were 9.7 and 0.9, respectively. This is the first report of a Cx. bitaeniorhynchus positive for JEV in the ROK. JEV is a local civilian and military health threat and a significant concern for nonimmune (unvaccinated) U.S. soldiers, civilians, and family members deployed to the ROK.
authors.affiliation: 5th Medical Detachment, 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 65th Medical Brigade, Unit 15247, APO AP 96205-5247, Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Heung Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Ratree
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takhampunya
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Sirima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mingmongkolchai
authors.forename: Ampornpan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kengluecha
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grieco
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Masuoka
authors.forename: Myung-Soon
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Jong-Koo
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won-Ja
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D011156:Population Density; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012621:Seasons