Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Along with the bunyaviruses, the viruses in Class Arenaviridae account for
the majority of roboviruses (rodent borne viruses). In general, each arenavi-
rus infects a specific species of rodent. Rodents occasionally transmit the
virus to humans, either through aerosolized excreta (e.g., urine, feces), or
by direct contact of infectious material with cuts and abrasions in human
skin. Most of the diseases caused by bunyaviruses are either encephalitides,
hemorrhagic fevers, or non-hemorrhagic fevers; the severity varying with the
viral species and host resistance.
The arenaviruses have been separated by geographic locale into two
groups: New World viruses and Old World viruses. Old World arena-
viruses and their approximate locales are: Ippy virus (Central African
Republic), Lassa virus (West Africa), Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
(worldwide), Mobala virus (Central African Republic), and Mopeia virus
(Mozambique).
The New World arenaviruses and their approximate locales are:
Amapari virus (Brazil), Flexal virus (Brazil), Guanarito virus (Venezuela),
Junin virus (Argentina), Latino virus (Bolivia), Machupo virus (Bolivia),
Oliveros virus (Argentina), Parana virus (Paraguay), Pichinde virus (Columbia),
Pirital virus (Venezuela), Sabia virus (Brazil), Tacaribe virus (Trinidad),
Tamiami virus (Florida, USA), and Whitewater Arroyo virus (New Mexico,
USA). Several of the arenaviruses isolated from humans have not, as yet,
been associated with human disease; these species are omitted from the list of
infectious diseases caused by arenaviruses (see below).
One member of Class Arenaviridae, Lassa virus, the cause of Lassa fever,
should not be confused with Lyssa virus, a member of Class Rhabdoviridae
and the cause of rabies.
Class Bunyaviridae along with Class Arenaviridae, account for the
majority of Roboviruses (rodent-borne viruses). In addition, like the virus
syndromes produced by members of Class Arenaviridae, the members
of Class Bunyaviridae tend to produce fever syndromes, hemorrhagic fever
syndromes, or meningoencephalitides.
Class Orthomyxoviridae includes Influenza virus (types A, B, and C) and
the thogotoviruses. Seasonal influenza kills between a quarter million and a half
million people worldwide, each year. In the USA seasonal influenza accounts
for about 40 000 deaths annually. The global 1917
1918 influenza pandemic
caused somewhere between 50 million and 100 million deaths.
The thogotoviruses (Dhori virus and Thogoto virus) infect ticks, and ticks
transmit the infection to humans. Thogotoviruses produce fever and encephalitis.
Group V (
)ssRNA
Unassigned Classes
Unassigned genus
Deltavirus
*Hepatitis delta virus
