Studies of Arthropod‐borne Virus Infections in Queensland

Abstract

SUMMARY Sixty strains of 11 viruses were isolated from 25,901 mosquitoes of 32 species collected at Mitchell River Mission, Cairns and Normanton in 1960 and 1961. The viruses, the local prototype strains and the mosquito species, geographical location and year of repeatable isolations, were: Group A: Sindbis (MRM39) from Culex annulirostris and Aedes normanensis at Mitchell River (1960) and Cairns (1961); AMM2021 (N544) from Anopheles amictus amictus and Culex bitaeniorhynchus at Normanton (1961). Group B: Murray Valley encephalitis virus from C. annulirostris at Mitchell River (1960 and 1961); Kunjin (MRM16) from C. annulirostris at Mitchell River (1960); Kokobera (MRM32) from C. annulirostris at Mitchell River (1960 and 1961); Edge Hill (C281) from Aedes vigilax and C. annulirostris at Cairns (1961); Stratford (C338) from Ae. vigilax at Cairns (1961). Koongol group: Koongol (MRM31) from C. anulirostris at Mitchell River (1960) and Normanton (1961); Wongal (MRM168) from C. anulirostris at Mitchell River (1960 and 1961). Ungrouped: MRM1 (found resistant to ether and sodium desoxycholate) from C. anulirostris at Mitchell River (1960); Mapputta (MRM186) from Anopheles meraukensis at Mitchell River (1960) (not reisolated). C. annulirostris was the commonest mosquito collected (12,124) and the source of 44 of the virus strains. Eight of the viruses appear to be new. One (Murray Valley encephalitis virus) has previously been isolated from man in Australia and two (Sindbis and AMM 2021) from mosquitoes elsewhere.

Sexual selection and speciation in field crickets

“…First, we tested female ''preferences'' as the stimulus level that elicits the greatest positive response. Female preferences were standardized to 25°C by using a linear female temperature response (e.g., a female that preferred the 23°C song when tested at 24°C was assigned a 24°C preference at 25°C); linear temperature responses are appropriate because it is known that both male songs and female preferences are temperature coupled and show identical linear responses (59)(60)(61). Second, we tested female ''recognition'' of heterospecific stimuli in terms of whether females showed average positive phonotaxis when presented with heterospecific song.…”

Genetic divergence among members of the Kokobera group of flaviviruses supports their separation into distinct species

“…One such virus, New Mapoon virus (NMV), was isolated in 1998 from Culex annulirostris mosquitoes collected from the New Mapoon community on the tip of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia (Nisbet et al, 2005;Van Den Hurk et al, 2001). Partial sequence analysis and mAbbinding assays showed that this isolate was closely related to, but distinct from Kokobera virus (KOKV), which was first isolated in 1960 from C. annulirostris at Kowanyama (formerly Mitchell River Mission), approximately 530 km from the New Mapoon community (Doherty et al, 1963;Nisbet et al, 2005). Together with Stratford virus (STRV), first isolated from Aedes vigilax in Cairns, in North Queensland, Australia, in 1961 (Doherty et al, 1963), these viruses comprise the Kokobera group, a distinct subgroup of the genus Flavivirus (Thiel et al, 2005).…”

Complete Coding Sequences of Three Members of the Kokobera Group of Flaviviruses

“…The prototype strain for this group, KOKV, was first isolated in 1960 in Mitchell River Mission in northern Queensland, Australia, from Culex annulirostris mosquitoes (2), and more recently from Sabai Island and Cape York Peninsula, Australia (3, 4). It has also been isolated in New South Wales and Western Australia (5) and the Northern Territory (6).…”

“…It has also been isolated in New South Wales and Western Australia (5) and the Northern Territory (6). STRV was isolated in 1961 from Cairns (2), the Bainyik virus in 1966 from Papua, New Guinea (PNG) (7), and the Torres virus in 2000 from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland (8). NMV was isolated in northern Queensland in 1998 (8).…”