Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
BMC Infect Dis. 2020 Oct 2;20(1):722. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05411-x.
Ross River virus (RRV) is responsible for the most common vector-borne disease of humans reported in Australia. The virus circulates in enzootic cycles between multiple species of mosquitoes, wildlife reservoir hosts and humans. Public health concern about RRV is increasing due to rising incidence rates in Australian urban centres, along with increased circulation in Pacific Island countries. Australia experienced its largest recorded outbreak of 9544 cases in 2015, with the majority reported from south east Queensland (SEQ). This study examined potential links between disease patterns and transmission pathways of RRV.
The spatial and temporal distribution of notified RRV cases, and associated epidemiological features in SEQ, were analysed for the period 2001-2016. This included fine-scale analysis of disease patterns across the suburbs of the capital city of Brisbane, and those of 8 adjacent Local Government Areas, and host spot analyses to identify locations with significantly high incidence.
The mean annual incidence rate for the region was 41/100,000 with a consistent seasonal peak in cases between February and May. The highest RRV incidence was in adults aged from 30 to 64 years (mean incidence rate: 59/100,000), and females had higher incidence rates than males (mean incidence rates: 44/100,000 and 34/100,000, respectively). Spatial patterns of disease were heterogeneous between years, and there was a wide distribution of disease across both urban and rural areas of SEQ. Overall, the highest incidence rates were reported from predominantly rural suburbs to the north of Brisbane City, with significant hot spots located in peri-urban suburbs where residential, agricultural and conserved natural land use types intersect.
Although RRV is endemic across all of SEQ, transmission is most concentrated in areas where urban and peri-urban environments intersect. The drivers of RRV transmission across rural-urban landscapes should be prioritised for further investigation, including identification of specific vectors and hosts that mediate human spillover.
罗斯河病毒（RRV）是澳大利亚报告的最常见的虫媒病。该病毒在多种蚊子、野生动物宿主和人类之间循环，形成地方性流行循环。由于澳大利亚城市中心的发病率上升，以及太平洋岛国的循环增加，人们对 RRV 的公共卫生关注度不断提高。澳大利亚在 2015 年经历了有记录以来最大的 9544 例暴发，其中大部分报告来自昆士兰州东南部（SEQ）。本研究探讨了 RRV 疾病模式和传播途径之间的潜在联系。
对 2001-2016 年期间 SEQ 地区报告的 RRV 病例的时空分布及相关流行病学特征进行了分析。这包括对布里斯班首府郊区以及 8 个相邻地方政府区域的疾病模式进行精细分析，并进行宿主点分析以确定发病率显著较高的地点。
该地区的年平均发病率为 41/100,000，病例在 2 月至 5 月之间呈持续季节性高峰。RRV 发病率最高的是 30 至 64 岁的成年人（平均发病率：59/100,000），女性的发病率高于男性（平均发病率分别为 44/100,000 和 34/100,000）。疾病的空间模式在不同年份之间存在异质性，且 SEQ 的城市和农村地区均有广泛的疾病分布。总体而言，布里斯班市以北的农村郊区报告的发病率最高，城市周边郊区存在显著的热点，这些地区的住宅、农业和自然保护区类型相交。
尽管 RRV 在 SEQ 地区普遍流行，但传播最集中在城市和城市周边环境相交的地区。应优先研究农村-城市景观中 RRV 传播的驱动因素，包括确定介导人类溢出的特定媒介和宿主。
