ECOLOGY OF ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN USA

几种虫媒病毒性脑脊髓炎病毒，最重要的是东马 脑脊髓炎和圣路易斯脑脊髓炎病毒(EEE和SLE)引起 美国东南部人口中的零星流行病。它是 普遍认为，这些流行病是由 允许病毒在人畜共患病中放大的生态因素 循环，然后逃离这个人畜共患病的循环，感染人类和家庭 动物(主要是马)。人们认为，无论是放大还是 摆脱人畜共患病的循环需要几个生态系统的协调 各种因素。然而，这一进程所必需的因素以及 在这些病毒的传播生态中涉及许多其他因素 人们对此仍然知之甚少。其中包括季节性模式的原因。 这些病毒在禽鸟种群中的出现情况，以及通过 这些病毒能够从禽类流行性疾病传播到感染 人类。这个项目的总体目标将是阐明生态学 促进病毒地方病的必要因素，并确定 使病毒逃脱人畜共患病所需的生态因素 循环感染人类和其他哺乳动物。这个项目的具体目标是 将会是： 1.研究流行性乙型脑炎的时空分布 使用地理信息系统在阿拉巴马州和邻近各州的几个地点感染， 血清学和聚合酶链式反应检测方法。 2.利用一种新开发的能够识别禽类血液的方法 膳食到物种水平，研究物种的时间和空间变化 流行性乙型脑炎和桥脑的饲养方式 蚊子媒介。 3.将地鼠和桥鼠种群的取食行为联系起来 在每项研究中，媒介的丰度、行为、生殖阶段、 地方性禽类的年龄段或一般生理状态 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.