Roche S E, Wicks R, Garner M G, East I J, Paskin R, Moloney B J, Carr M, Kirkland P
Animal Health Policy Branch, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Aust Vet J. 2013 Jan-Feb;91(1-2):5-13. doi: 10.1111/avj.12018. Epub 2012 Dec 19.
To provide an overview and descriptive analysis of the 2011 arboviral disease epidemic in horses that involved three important Australian mosquito-borne viruses: Murray Valley encephalitis virus, West Nile virus (Kunjin strain) and Ross River virus.
Data from states affected between January and June 2011 were collated and comprised reports of horses showing signs of neuromuscular disease and the associated laboratory findings. A summary of the data is presented, together with a spatiotemporal analysis of cases and preliminary assessment of rainfall patterns and case distribution.
A total of 982 cases of equine arboviral disease were reported across Australia between January and June 2011. The majority of cases were reported from south-east Australia and included horses that developed neurological signs consistent with encephalitis. It was the largest epidemic of equine arboviral disease in Australia's history. Two likely causes for this unprecedented epidemic were the unusual weather events that preceded the epidemic and the emergence of a new strain of Kunjin virus.
The epidemic highlights to horse owners and policy makers the potential for future outbreaks of arboviral diseases and the need for vigilance. It also highlights the complex interactions among hosts, vectors and climatic conditions that are required for such an outbreak to occur.
对2011年马群中虫媒病毒病疫情进行概述和描述性分析，此次疫情涉及三种重要的澳大利亚蚊媒病毒：墨累谷脑炎病毒、西尼罗河病毒（库京毒株）和罗斯河病毒。
整理2011年1月至6月间受影响各州的数据，包括出现神经肌肉疾病症状的马匹报告及相关实验室检查结果。呈现数据总结，以及病例的时空分析、降雨模式和病例分布的初步评估。
2011年1月至6月间，澳大利亚共报告982例马群虫媒病毒病病例。大多数病例来自澳大利亚东南部，包括出现与脑炎相符的神经症状的马匹。这是澳大利亚历史上最大规模的马群虫媒病毒病疫情。此次前所未有的疫情有两个可能原因，一是疫情前的异常天气事件，二是一种新型库京病毒的出现。
此次疫情向马主和政策制定者凸显了未来虫媒病毒病爆发的可能性以及保持警惕的必要性。它还凸显了此类疫情发生所需的宿主、媒介和气候条件之间的复杂相互作用。
