FLAVIVIRUSES The arthropod-borne Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae are able to cause a myriad of clinical responses ranging from

asymptomatic to haemorrhagic fevers such as Dengue and Yellow Fever and also, encephalitis. Transmission can occur by a mosquito or tick vector from an infected human or animal. Properties (+ve)ssRNA, of 10 000kilobases, monopartite - nucleic acid itself is able to instigate an infection since it is directly translated by the host 40-65nm in diameter including lipid envelope but capsid coat is 25-30nm Spheroidal (some suggested pleomorphism present) Consists of an envelope glycoprotein, a nucleoprotein and small membrane protein in structural mainframe and a few other non-structural proteins 3' end not polyadenylated 5' methylated nucleotide cap or a genome-linked protein Haemorrhagic diesease Yellow Fever Vector species Aedes spp Haemagogus spp Aedes aegypti Ornithodoros savignyi Dermacentor pictus Primary Host species Monkeys Geographical Distribution Sub-Saharan Africa, South America Tropics, Subtropics Arabian Peninsula Western Siberia

Dengue Fever Alkhurma Omsk haemorrhagic fever

Human Beings Human Beings, Sheep, Camels Muskrats, Rodents

Table 1: Examples of haemorrhagic diseases evident in human beings caused by viruses of the genus Flavivirus, their hosts and vectors and main regions of occurance (Adapted from a table prepared by EA Gould and T Solomon in Pathogenic Flavivirus for the Lancet, 2008)