Laboratory of Zoonotic Diseases

Arbovirology Laboratory

The Arbovirus Laboratory conducts surveillance on mosquito-borne viruses of medical importance predominantly through testing mosquitoes, dead bird tissues, horses, and occasionally other vertebrates following death. Detection of viral nucleic acid by TaqMan RT-PCR is the principal diagnostic tool, but Vero cell cultures are inoculated to detect infectious virus as well. The inoculated cell cultures are monitored for cytopathology, then RT-PCR is conducted, and/or cells are spotted on slides and stained with antibody to alpha-, flavi- and bunya- viruses, followed by nucleotide sequencing, to determine etiology.

The viruses that have been detected in New York State are:

• West Nile
• Eastern equine encephalitis
• Trivitattus
• Jamestown Canyon
• South River
• Highlands J
• LaCrosse
• Cache Valley
• Potosi, and
• Flanders viruses

Presumptive human cases of arboviral infections are confirmed using plaque reduction neutralization tests. Human cases have been confirmed for West Nile virus, Powassan (a tick-borne virus), dengue (imported), and St. Louis encephalitis.

The Arbovirus Laboratory also has a large research program focusing predominantly on West Nile virus, but also including St. Louis encephalitis and Powassan viruses, among others, with an emphasis on vertebrate-vector-virus interactions. Studies address the evolution and ecology of these viruses, and the impact of viral infection on the biology of the mosquito vector. The goal is to elucidate factors that affect the intensity of the viral transmission cycle.