title: Silent Circulation of Ross River Virus in French Polynesia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ross River is an emerging mosquito-borne disease in the Western Pacific. Ross River virus (RRV) circulation has been sporadically reported in some Pacific Island Countries and Territories but never in French Polynesia. To determine if RRV has circulated locally among the French Polynesian population, we conducted a seroprevalence study on blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sera of 593 blood donors were collected from July 2011 to October 2013 and tested by ELISA for the presence of RRV-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 204 (34.40%) blood donors were found seropositive for RRV. Among the 132 blood donors that were born in French Polynesia and had never travelled abroad, 56 (42.42%) had RRV-specific IgGs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the existence of autochthonous RRV transmission and suggest that this pathogen has silently circulated in French Polynesia. These findings raise the question of possible undetected circulation of RRV in other Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. Electronic address: maubry@ilm.pf.
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.affiliation: Hochschule Emden/Leer, Constantiaplatz 4, D-26723 Emden, Germany.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finke
authors.affiliation: Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teissier
authors.affiliation: Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.affiliation: Centre de Transfusion Sanguine de la Polynésie française, Hôpital du Taaone, PO BOX 4530, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broult
authors.affiliation: Departement Infections and Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paulous
authors.affiliation: Departement Infections and Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France; UMR PIMIT (12T) Université de La Réunion, INSERM U1187, CNRS 9192, IRD 249, GIP-CYROI, 97491 Sainte-Clotilde, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Desprès
authors.affiliation: Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
authors.forename: Van-Mai
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Cao-Lormeau
authors.affiliation: Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Musso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009033:Culicidae; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011114:Polynesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012398:Ross River virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: Blood donors; French Polynesia; Ross River; Seroprevalence