Kunjin virus | |
---|---|
Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Kitrinoviricota |
Class: | Flasuviricetes |
Order: | Amarillovirales |
Family: | Flaviviridae |
Genus: | Flavivirus |
Species: | |
Serotype: | Kunjin virus
|
Kunjin virus (KUNV) is a zoonotic virus of the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is a subtype of West Nile virus endemic to Oceania.
The virus was first isolated from Culex annulirostris mosquitoes in Australia in 1960. [1] [2] The name of Kunjin virus derives from an Aboriginal clan living on the Mitchell River close to where the virus was first isolated in Kowanyama, northern Queensland. [1] [3]
Kunjin virus is a zoonotic virus of the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is an arbovirus which is transmitted by mosquitoes and is part of the Japanese encephalitis serological complex. [4] It is antigenically and genetically very similar to West Nile virus and in 1999 was reclassified as a subtype of WNV. [3] [5] Its genome is positive- sense single stranded RNA made up of 10,644 nucleotides. [3] [4]
Infection with the virus often causes no symptoms, but it can lead to either an encephalitic disease or a non-encephalitic disease. [6] Non-encephalitic Kunjin virus disease can cause symptoms including acute febrile illness, headache, arthralgia, myalgia, fatigue and rash. [1] [6] Kunjin virus encephalitis features acute febrile meningoencephalitis. [1]
Both forms of Kunjin virus disease are milder than the diseases caused by West Nile virus and Murray Valley encephalitis virus. [5] [6]
Kunjin virus is transmitted by mosquito vectors, especially the Culex annulirostris. [3] They pass the virus to waterbird reservoir hosts; a major example is the nankeen night heron. [3] It is also passed to horses and humans. [7] The virus has been isolated in mosquitoes in South East Asia but in humans, only in Australia. [6] It has been found all over Australia and is particularly prevalent in areas near wetlands and rivers. [8]
The control of Kunjin virus is achieved in the same ways as other mosquito-borne diseases. These include individuals using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothes and avoiding areas where mosquitoes are particularly prevalent. [1] Habitat control by government agencies can take the form of reducing the amount of water available for mosquitoes to breed in, and the use of insecticides. [9] There is no available vaccine against Kunjin virus. [1]
In 2005, scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the University of Queensland found that modified Kunjin virus particles injected into mice were able to deliver a gene into the immune system targeting cancer cells. [10] [11] This research may lead to vaccines for cancer and HIV. [10] [11]
Kunjin virus | |
---|---|
Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Kitrinoviricota |
Class: | Flasuviricetes |
Order: | Amarillovirales |
Family: | Flaviviridae |
Genus: | Flavivirus |
Species: | |
Serotype: | Kunjin virus
|
Kunjin virus (KUNV) is a zoonotic virus of the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is a subtype of West Nile virus endemic to Oceania.
The virus was first isolated from Culex annulirostris mosquitoes in Australia in 1960. [1] [2] The name of Kunjin virus derives from an Aboriginal clan living on the Mitchell River close to where the virus was first isolated in Kowanyama, northern Queensland. [1] [3]
Kunjin virus is a zoonotic virus of the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is an arbovirus which is transmitted by mosquitoes and is part of the Japanese encephalitis serological complex. [4] It is antigenically and genetically very similar to West Nile virus and in 1999 was reclassified as a subtype of WNV. [3] [5] Its genome is positive- sense single stranded RNA made up of 10,644 nucleotides. [3] [4]
Infection with the virus often causes no symptoms, but it can lead to either an encephalitic disease or a non-encephalitic disease. [6] Non-encephalitic Kunjin virus disease can cause symptoms including acute febrile illness, headache, arthralgia, myalgia, fatigue and rash. [1] [6] Kunjin virus encephalitis features acute febrile meningoencephalitis. [1]
Both forms of Kunjin virus disease are milder than the diseases caused by West Nile virus and Murray Valley encephalitis virus. [5] [6]
Kunjin virus is transmitted by mosquito vectors, especially the Culex annulirostris. [3] They pass the virus to waterbird reservoir hosts; a major example is the nankeen night heron. [3] It is also passed to horses and humans. [7] The virus has been isolated in mosquitoes in South East Asia but in humans, only in Australia. [6] It has been found all over Australia and is particularly prevalent in areas near wetlands and rivers. [8]
The control of Kunjin virus is achieved in the same ways as other mosquito-borne diseases. These include individuals using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothes and avoiding areas where mosquitoes are particularly prevalent. [1] Habitat control by government agencies can take the form of reducing the amount of water available for mosquitoes to breed in, and the use of insecticides. [9] There is no available vaccine against Kunjin virus. [1]
In 2005, scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the University of Queensland found that modified Kunjin virus particles injected into mice were able to deliver a gene into the immune system targeting cancer cells. [10] [11] This research may lead to vaccines for cancer and HIV. [10] [11]