Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Complex Alphavirus in Bats, French Guiana
Carlo Fischer, Dominique Pontier, Ondine Filippi-Codaccioni, Jean-Batiste Pons, Ignacio Postigo-Hidalgo, Jeanne Duhayer, Sebastian Brünink, Jan Felix Drexler
Abstract
Although essential for control strategies, knowledge about transmission cycles is limited for Venezuelan equine encephalitis complex alphaviruses (VEEVs). After testing 1,398 bats from French Guiana for alphaviruses, we identified and isolated a new strain of the encephalitogenic VEEV species Tonate virus (TONV). Bats may contribute to TONV spread in Latin America.
Topics & Concepts
AlphavirusVenezuelan equine encephalitis virusVirologyAlphavirus infectionEncephalitisTogaviridaeBiologyTransmission (telecommunications)Encephalitis VirusesVirusEngineeringElectrical engineeringMosquito-borne diseases and controlViral Infections and VectorsViral Infections and Outbreaks Research