title: Rift Valley Fever: An Emerging Mosquito-Borne Disease.
abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF), an emerging mosquito-borne zoonotic infectious viral disease caused by the RVF virus (RVFV) (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus), presents significant threats to global public health and agriculture in Africa and the Middle East. RVFV is listed as a select agent with significant potential for international spread and use in bioterrorism. RVFV has caused large, devastating periodic epizootics and epidemics in Africa over the past ∼60 years, with severe economic and nutritional impacts on humans from illness and livestock loss. In the past 15 years alone, RVFV caused tens of thousands of human cases, hundreds of human deaths, and more than 100,000 domestic animal deaths. Cattle, sheep, goats, and camels are particularly susceptible to RVF and serve as amplifying hosts for the virus. This review highlights recent research on RVF, focusing on vectors and their ecology, transmission dynamics, and use of environmental and climate data to predict disease outbreaks. Important directions for future research are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608; email: Kenneth.Linthicum@ars.usda.gov , Seth.Britch@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Linthicum
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida 32608; email: Kenneth.Linthicum@ars.usda.gov , Seth.Britch@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Seth C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Britch
authors.affiliation: Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR)/Universities Space Research Association (USRA) at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771; email: Assaf.Anyamba@nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anyamba
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000502:physiology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D008877:Middle East / Q000453:epidemiology; D012295:Rift Valley Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D012296:Rift Valley fever virus / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Aedes; Culex; disease forecasting; environmental and climate linkages; hemorrhagic disease; zoonosis