The potential for Japanese encephalitis virus transmission and spread in the United States is the focus of a new investigation led by Natalia Cernicchiaro, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and John Drake, director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia. With funding from and in collaboration with researchers from the USDA, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and the Foreign Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, the team of researchers commenced the multi-year grant on Aug. 1.
Researchers will model transmission dynamics in the case of a JEV incursion, integrating climatic and regional factors, under specific local conditions, considering vectored and vector-free transmission among swine and other animal hosts. Additionally, a JEV spatial interaction model will be built to estimate, predict and forecast how a JEV outbreak in the United States may spatiotemporally spread.
The United States represents an area favorable for the introduction of Japanese encephalitis, a zoonotic, emerging disease transmitted primarily by Culex mosquitoes infected with the virus. Previous incursions of other mosquito-borne flaviviruses in the United States include West Nile virus and Zika virus. Knowing the availability of competent insect vectors, susceptible avian and porcine hosts, and environmental conditions similar to those in epidemic countries creates concern in the U.S. pork industry as well as with public health officials as JEV is a mosquito disease capable of affecting humans as well as pigs.
Entities concerned about the potential of a JEV incursion in the United States include the Swine Health Information Center which has funded several projects designed to further strengthen U.S. swine industry preparedness as well as inform response efforts, should they be needed. Some of SHIC’s efforts include the implementation of a systematic literature review intended to increase understanding of the virus’s biology, components and dynamics of transmission, and environmental factors necessary for incursion and establishment. In addition, the same team at Kansas State University conducting the review is re-assessing pathways of JEV introduction into the United States via a risk assessment with funding provided by SHIC.
Source : National Hog