A preliminary investigation of the ecology of arboviruses in the Derby area of the Kimberley region, Western Australia

A survey of mosquito populations in the Derby area of the Kimberley region, Western Australia, in March/April of 1977 yielded a total of 3,318 adult female mosquitoes. Fifteen taxa were represented, seven being new locality records for this area. Culex annulirostris was the dominant species, compris...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAustralian journal of experimental biology and medical science Vol. 59; no. Pt 3; p. 357
Main Authors Wright, A E, Anderson, S, Stanley, N F, Liehne, P F, Britten, D K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australia 01.06.1981
Subjects
Animals
Arboviruses - growth & development
Arboviruses - isolation & purification
Australia
Cell Line
Cercopithecus aethiops
Chick Embryo
Culicidae - microbiology
Culture Techniques
Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral
Female
Kidney
Mice
Seasons
Species Specificity
Virus Cultivation
Virus Replication
Australia
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Summary:A survey of mosquito populations in the Derby area of the Kimberley region, Western Australia, in March/April of 1977 yielded a total of 3,318 adult female mosquitoes. Fifteen taxa were represented, seven being new locality records for this area. Culex annulirostris was the dominant species, comprising 85.41% of the total catch. All mosquitoes collected were processed for virus isolation and thirteen strains of four (and possibly five) distinct arboviruses were obtained, all from pools of Culex annulirostris. These viruses include Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River, Wongal, an untyped non-haemagglutinating member of the Koongol group and a virus which reacts to polyvalent antisera against the Anopheles A and B groups. With the exception of Ross River, all these viruses had been previously isolated from the Ord River Valley, some 500 km to the north-east. Comparison of virus isolations in the Ord Valley and Derby supports the suggestion that both sites share a common viral flora. Both also display an exceedingly high overall isolation rate (approximately 20% for Cx. annulirostris pools). Such comparisons suggest that a number of arboviruses transmitted by Cx. annulirostris are active throughout the Kimberley region and have peak isolation rates at the end of the wet season. Further studies are needed to fully define these viral cycles.
ISSN:0004-945X
DOI:10.1038/icb.1981.30