Serosurvey in two rural areas evidences recent and previously undetected WNV and SLEV circulation in Costa Rica

West Nile virus (WNV) and Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) share similar virus transmission cycles that involve birds as amplifiers and mosquitoes as vectors. Mammals, including humans, are dead-end-hosts that may be asymptomatic or develop more severe symptoms. Costa Rica is a hyperendemic country for several flaviviruses such as Dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) and previous research showed limited and restricted SLEV and WNV circulation in horses, sloths, and monkeys. Nevertheless, actual seroprevalence and high transmission areas are not yet identified. To determine putative WNV and SLEV circulation, we sampled peri-domestic and domestic animals, humans, wild birds, and mosquitoes in rural households located in two DENV and ZIKV hyperendemic regions during the rainy and dry seasons of 2017-2018 and conducted PRNT assays for serology and RT-PCR for virus detection. At Cuajiniquil, serological evidence of WNV and SLEV was found in equines, humans, chickens, and wild birds. Also, 5 seroconversion events were recorded for WNV (2 equine), SLEV (1 human), and DENV-1 (2 humans). At Talamanca, a lack of WNV circulation was found, but evidence of SLEV circulation was recorded in equines, humans, and wild birds. No evidence of active viral infection was found in any mosquitoes or wild bird samples. This seroconversion evidence supports the active and recent circulation of SLEV and WNV in these two regions. This study provides clear-cut evidence of WNV and SLEV circulation and should be considered by the health and epidemiology authorities for future prevention and differential diagnostics.

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Household and community responses to seasonal droughts in rural areas of Costa Rica

Waterlines ◽

10.3362/1756-3488.18-00020 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 286-304

Author(s):

Róger Madrigal-Ballestero ◽

Tabaré Capitán ◽

Ariana Salas ◽

Daniela Córdoba

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Community Responses ◽

Seasonal Droughts

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Improvement of the purification of Saint Louis encephalitis virus NS2B-NS3 recombinant protease expressed in Escherichia coli

Journal of Chromatography B ◽

10.1016/j.jchromb.2008.04.035 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 868 (1-2) ◽

pp. 58-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Boris Pastorino ◽

Dominique Rolland ◽

Christophe N. Peyrefitte ◽

Nathalie Wurtz ◽

Lionel Almeras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Saint Louis ◽

Saint Louis Encephalitis

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Detection of Adenoviruses and Rotaviruses in Drinking Water Sources Used In Rural Areas of Benin, West Africa

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01807-08 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 75 (9) ◽

pp. 2798-2801 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Jens Verheyen ◽

Monika Timmen-Wego ◽

Rainer Laudien ◽

Ibrahim Boussaad ◽

Sibel Sen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Virus Detection ◽

Test Site ◽

Water Sources ◽

Major Health ◽

Viral Contamination ◽

Drinking Water Sources ◽

Surface Water Samples

ABSTRACT Diseases associated with viruses also found in environmental samples cause major health problems in developing countries. Little is known about the frequency and pattern of viral contamination of drinking water sources in these resource-poor settings. We established a method to analyze 10 liters of water from drinking water sources in a rural area of Benin for the presence of adenoviruses and rotaviruses. Overall, 541 samples from 287 drinking water sources were tested. A total of 12.9% of the sources were positive for adenoviruses and 2.1% of the sources were positive for rotaviruses at least once. Due to the temporary nature of viral contamination in drinking water sources, the probability of virus detection increased with the number of samples taken at one test site over time. No seasonal pattern for viral contaminations was found after samples obtained during the dry and wet seasons were compared. Overall, 3 of 15 surface water samples (20%) and 35 of 247 wells (14.2%) but also 2 of 25 pumps (8%) tested positive for adenoviruses or rotaviruses. The presence of latrines within a radius of 50 m in the vicinity of pumps or wells was identified as being a risk factor for virus detection. In summary, viral contamination was correlated with the presence of latrines in the vicinity of drinking water sources, indicating the importance of appropriate decision support systems in these socioeconomic prospering regions.

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Virulence variation among epidemic and non-epidemic strains of Saint Louis encephalitis virus circulating in Argentina

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz ◽

10.1590/0074-0276130475 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 109 (2) ◽

pp. 197-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

María Elisa Rivarola ◽

Laura Beatriz Tauro ◽

Guillermo Albrieu Llinás ◽

Marta Silvia Contigiani

Keyword(s):

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Saint Louis ◽

Saint Louis Encephalitis ◽

Virulence Variation

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Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus, Brazil

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid1301.060905 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 176-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Adriano Mondini ◽

Izabela Lídia Soares Cardeal ◽

Eduardo Lázaro ◽

Silva H. Nunes ◽

Cibele C. Moreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Saint Louis ◽

Saint Louis Encephalitis

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Infection with Saint Louis encephalitis virus in the city of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil: report of one case

International Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ijid.2014.05.018 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 96-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Felipe Gonçalves Motta Maia ◽

Juliana Helena Chávez ◽

William Marciel de Souza ◽

Marilia Farignoli Romeiro ◽

Luiza Antunes de Castro-Jorge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Saint Louis ◽

The City ◽

Saint Louis Encephalitis

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Flavivirus Infection Associated with Cerebrovascular Events

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v12060671 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 671

Author(s):

Cássia F. Estofolete ◽

Bruno H. G. A. Milhim ◽

Nathalia Zini ◽

Samuel N. Scamardi ◽

Joana D’Arc Selvante ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Management ◽

Case Reports ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Potential Threat ◽

Saint Louis ◽

Paulo State ◽

Hyperendemic Area ◽

Cerebrovascular Events ◽

Flavivirus Infection ◽

Saint Louis Encephalitis

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of the genus Flavivirus are distributed globally and cause significant human disease and mortality annually. Flavivirus infections present a spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic to severe manifestations, including hemorrhage, encephalitis and death. Herein, we describe 3 case reports of cerebrovascular involvement in patients infected by dengue and Zika viruses in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil, a hyperendemic area for arbovirus circulation, including dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Saint Louis encephalitis viruses. Our findings highlight the potential threat that unusual clinical manifestations may pose to arbovirus disease management and recovery.

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Demand Responsive Transport Service of ‘Dead-End Villages’ in Interurban Traffic

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12093820 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 3820

Author(s):

András Lakatos ◽

János Tóth ◽

Péter Mándoki

Keyword(s):

Public Transport ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Transport Service ◽

Performance Requirement ◽

Dead End ◽

Trip Distance ◽

The Mathematical Model ◽

Public Transport Service

Providing a sustainable public transport service for areas with several small villages or hamlets is a challenge for the whole of Europe. To serve ‘dead-end villages’, vehicles must make a to-and-fro detour to each village, which requires considerable performance from the operator, and the service must also be ordered from the responsible bodies. The number of inhabitants in rural areas is constantly decreasing, and the remaining residents are aging. This process is due to the fact that economically active people in the country tend to move into towns offering jobs and public institutions instead of commuting to work. The performance requirement of serving low transport demand areas like ‘dead-end villages’ is high, while the number of passengers is very low. Furthermore, passengers are economically less active, and thus their transport must largely be subsidized. The present study hypothesizes that replacing traditional public transport with demand responsive transport (DRT) can make the service of rural areas with less public transport service and low demand sustainable. To prove this hypothesis, a generally applicable, innovative method of analysis based on performance–allocation is introduced, and the application of this method is illustrated by a case study conducted in northeastern Hungary. The number of ‘dead-end villages’ is high in the surveyed area; consequently, the results are impressive. The mathematical model applied here uses several parameters (e.g., population, traffic surveys, trip distance, operational costs), thus the analysis is highly complex.

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