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Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus

I. General Information

1. NCBI Taxonomy ID:

2. Disease:

Encephalitis

3. Introduction

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE), commonly called sleeping sickness (not to be confused with Trypanosomiasis) or Triple E, is a zoonotic alphavirus and arbovirus present in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. EEE was first recognized in Massachusetts, USA in 1831 when 75 horses died of encephalitic illness. Epizootics in horses have continued to occur regularly in the United States. EEE is found today in the eastern part of the country and is often associated with coastal plains (Wiki: Eastern Equine Encephalitis).

4. Host Ranges and Animal Models

EEE is capable of infecting a wide range of animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The virus is maintained in nature through a bird - mosquito cycle. There are two mosquito species primarily involved in this portion of the cycle, they are Culiseta melanura and Cs. morsitans. These mosquitoes feed on the blood of birds. The amount of virus found in nature increases throughout the summer as more birds and more mosquitoes become infected. Transmission of EEEV to mammals occurs via other mosquitoes. These other mosquitoes are called bridge vectors because they bring the virus from avian populations to mammalian populations. They include Coquiletidia perturbans, Aedes vexans, Ochlerotatus sollicitans and Oc. canadensis. All these mosquitoes are primarily mammalian feeders (Wiki: Eastern Equine Encephalitis).

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