Kurane Ichiro
Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Uirusu. 2005 Jun;55(1):63-8. doi: 10.2222/jsv.55.63.
West Nile virus maintains natural infection cycle between birds and mosquitoes. It has been known that about 200 species of birds are infected with West Nile virus and the virus is isolated from more than 40 species of mosquitoes. This suggests that West Nile virus has an ability to be transmitted by many species of mosquitoes and infect many kinds of animals. Approximately 20% of infected humans develop symptoms. West Nile fever, an acute febrile illness, is the main disease, and meningitis and encephalitis (meningoencephalitis) occasionally occur. Cases with flaccid paralysis or polyneuritis have been recently reported. Thus, West Nile virus causes multiple types of symptoms in humans. The endemic area has expanded in North America and Siberia. West Nile virus may enter Japan in the near future; therefore, we should keep paying attention to the endemic and epidemic situations in the world.
西尼罗河病毒在鸟类和蚊子之间维持自然感染循环。已知约200种鸟类感染西尼罗河病毒，并且该病毒从40多种蚊子中分离出来。这表明西尼罗河病毒有能力通过多种蚊子传播并感染多种动物。约20%的受感染人类会出现症状。西尼罗河热，一种急性发热性疾病，是主要病症，偶尔会发生脑膜炎和脑炎（脑膜脑炎）。最近有弛缓性麻痹或多发性神经炎病例的报告。因此，西尼罗河病毒会在人类中引发多种类型的症状。其流行地区已在北美和西伯利亚扩大。西尼罗河病毒可能在不久的将来进入日本；因此，我们应持续关注全球的流行和疫情情况。
