Sindbis virus isolations from Saudi Arabian mosquitoes

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 79; no. 1; pp. 63 - 66
• Main Authors: Wills, W.M., Jakob, W.L., Francy, D.B., Oertley, R.E., Anani, E., Calisher, C.H., Monath, T.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1985; Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alphavirus; Animal infectious diseases; Animals; Arboviroses; Biological and medical sciences; Culex; Culex - microbiology; Culicidae - microbiology; disease vectors; Epidemiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Human viral diseases; Infectious diseases; Insect Vectors; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Saudi Arabia; Sindbis Virus - isolation & purification; Tropical medicine; Tropical viral diseases; Viral diseases; Virology; Saudi Arabia; Insecta; Togaviridae; Culex; Sindbis virus; Virus; Saudi Arabia; Asia; Arthropoda; Alphavirus; Isolation; Invertebrata; Arbovirus; Vector; Diptera
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(85)90238-X

A study in late 1979 to early 1980 was conducted to assess arbovirus activity in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. From 38,245 mosquitoes collected at 3 locations, 16 isolations of Sindbis virus were made: 13 from Culex univittatus and one each from Cx tritaeniorhynchus, Cx pipiens complex, and Culex spp. These isolations represent the first records of a mosquito-borne virus from the Gulf of Arabia and implicate Cx univittatus as the principal vector. A potential risk of human diseases exists due to Sindbis virus in Saudi Arabia.