What is Ross River virus?
Definition Ross River Virus (RRV) is Australia’s most common and widespread mosquito-borne pathogen. Also known as RRV disease, it can cause debilitating polyarthritis, rash, fever, and constitutional symptoms. Description Originally known as epidemic polyarthritis, RRV is a member of the Togaviridae family of arboviruses. RRV is transmitted in an animal host-vector-human cycle, where the vector is the mosquito. Serological investigations have indicated that native macropods are the main vertebrate hosts of RRV, although other animals can become infected as well. The RRV lives in the blood stream of an infected animal. When a mosquito feeds on the infected animal, the virus is transmitted to the insect where it rapidly multiplies. The virus is then passed onto the next animal or person the mosquito bites. It has been proposed that human-mosquito-human transmission can occur during RRV epidemics. One-third of all humans bitten by an infected mosquito will develop the RRV disease. The RR
