Hydrological features and the ecological niches of mammalian hosts delineate elevated risk for Ross River virus epidemics in anthropogenic landscapes in Australia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The current understanding of the landscape epidemiology of Ross River virus (RRV), Australia's most common arthropod-borne pathogen, is fragmented due to gaps in surveillance programs and the relatively narrow focus of the research conducted to date. This leaves public health agencies with an incomplete understanding of the spectrum of infection risk across the diverse geography of the Australian continent. The current investigation sought to assess the risk of RRV epidemics based on abiotic and biotic landscape features in anthropogenic landscapes, with a particular focus on the influence of water and wildlife hosts.

Methods

Abiotic features, including hydrology, land cover and altitude, and biotic features, including the distribution of wild mammalian hosts, wer

SUBMITTER: Walsh MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5859420 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature