ECOLOGY OF ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN USA

几种虫媒病毒性脑脊髓炎病毒，最重要的是东方马 脑脊髓炎和圣刘易斯脑脊髓炎病毒（SLE和SLE）引起 美国东南部人群中的零星流行病。是 人们普遍认为，这些流行病是由以下因素共同引发的： 使病毒在人畜共患病中得以扩增的生态因素 循环，然后逃离这种人畜共患循环，感染人类和寄生虫。 动物（主要是马）。据信，放大和 从人畜共患病的循环中逃脱需要几个生态系统的协调， 因素然而，这一过程所需的因素，以及 这些病毒传播生态学中涉及的许多其他因素 仍然知之甚少。其中包括季节性模式的原因 这些病毒在鸟类中的出现，以及 病毒能够从禽类流行病传播到感染 人类该项目的总体目标是阐明生态 促进病毒性动物病的必要因素，并确定 生态因素，使病毒逃脱人畜共患病 循环并感染人类和其他哺乳动物。该项目的具体目标 将为： 1.研究地方性脑炎的时空分布规律 利用地理信息系统，在亚拉巴马和邻近州的几个地点进行感染， 血清学和PCR检测方法。 2.利用一种新开发的能够鉴定禽类血液的方法 食物到物种水平，研究时间和空间变化， 地方性脑炎和桥脑炎的摄食模式 蚊媒。 3.将地方性流行病和桥梁种群的摄食行为联系起来， 每项研究中的媒介在丰度、行为、生殖阶段、 存在的年龄组，或地方性鸟类的一般生理状态 动物群。

Several arboviral encephalomyelitis viruses, most importantly Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and Saint Louis Encephalomyelitis virus (EEE and SLE) cause sporadic epidemics in the human populations of the Southeastern US. It is generally believed that these epidemics are triggered by a combination of ecological factors that allow the viruses to become amplified in a zoonotic cycle and to then escape this zoonotic cycle to infect humans and domesitc animals (primarily horses). It is believed that both amplification and the escape from the zoonotic cycle require the concordance of several ecological factors. However, the factors that are necessary for this process, as well as many other factors involved in the ecology of transmission of these viruses remain poorly understood. These include the reasons for the seasonal pattern of the appearance of these viruses in the avian population, and the means by which the viruses are able to move from an avian epizootic to infecting humans. The overall goal of this project will be to elucidate ecological factors necessary for promoting viral enzootics, and to identify the ecological factors necessary to allow the viruses to escape the zoonotic cycle and infect humans and other mammals. The specific aims of this project will be: 1. To study the temporal and spatial pattern of enzootic encephalitis infection at several sites in Alabama and neighboring states using GIS, serological and PCR detection methods. 2. To utilize a newly developed method capable of identifying avian blood meals to the species level to study temporal and spatial changes in the feeding pattern of the enzootic and bridge encephalitis mosquito vectors. 3. To correlate the feeding behavior of populations of the enzootic and bridge vectors in each study with changes in abundance, behavior, reproductive stage, age classes present, or general physiological state of the endemic avian fauna.