Ross River Virus infection--an acute polyarthritis caused by arbovirus.

Epidemic polyarthritis caused by Ross River Virus (RRV) infection has occurred frequently in Australia, and since 1979 has spread into the South Pacific. An outbreak in the Cook Islands in 1980 was investigated and the virus isolated in about one-half of the subjects examined in the acute phases of the illness. Many of the affected adults (but not children) had acute self-limiting polyarthritis which occurred as soon as 3-4 days following infection. RRV infection provides a model for investigation of outbreaks of acute polyarthritis in man and for understanding the pathogenesis of acute viral-induced arthritis.