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Mosquito-borne infections in Fiji: II. Arthropod-borne virus infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

T. Maguire ,
F. N. Macnamara ,
J. A. R. Miles ,
G. F. S. Spears  and
J. U. Mataika
T. Maguire
Affiliation:
Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
F. N. Macnamara
Affiliation:
Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
J. A. R. Miles
Affiliation:
Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
G. F. S. Spears
Affiliation:
Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
J. U. Mataika
Affiliation:
Wellcome Virus Laboratory, Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, Fiji
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Summary

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Surveys of arbovirus activity in Fiji were conducted over a 10-year period from December 1959 to December 1969. No arboviruses were isolated from over 200,000 mosquitoes, 9000 ticks, or 575 serum samples. Eight thousand human and 1117 bird, bat and animal sera were tested for haemagglutination-inhibiting arbovirus antibody using a variety of group A, group B and Bunyamwera group antigens. Only a small number of low-titre reactions were found among the non-human sera, but 14% of all human sera were found to contain Group B antibody. The antibody prevalence increased with increasing age, from less than 1 % for persons born since 1950, to 70% for persons born before 1900. The age differences in prevalence could be used to estimate the time and size of previous epidemics. Differences were found in antibody prevalence between the sexes, between ethnic groups and between persons from different regions. These differences could be explained in terms of climate, location and custom.

Historical and serological evidence both suggest that all the antibody detected was due to past exposure to dengue virus. The very high proportion of the population with no dengue antibody makes Fiji a high-risk area for a further dengue epidemic. Dengue virus is known to be active in the Pacific and South-East Asia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 69 , Issue 2 , June 1971 , pp. 287 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

References

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