Microbiology
Summary
Bunyaviridae is a family of single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses. The genomes of bunyaviruses are divided into three distinct segments, making them segmented viruses. These viruses obtain their envelopes from the Golgi body complex of host cells. Primarily, bunyaviruses are arboviruses, meaning they are arthropod-borne. However, an important exception is the hantavirus, which is transmitted through contact with rodents or their excrement.
Hantavirus is the most significant of the bunyaviruses, known to cause pulmonary edema via capillary leak and prerenal azotemia, and potentially may cause hemorrhagic fever. Two other well-known bunyaviruses are Rift Valley fever virus and California Encephalitis virus, both carried mainly by the Aedes mosquito. These viruses often result in neurological problems, including seizures and encephalitis, along with myalgias and fever. To avoid the risk of bunyavirus, the suggestions include using DEET, wearing long sleeves, and avoiding exposure to rodent excrement.
Lesson Outline
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FAQs
California encephalitis and Rift Valley fever viruses, both of which belong to the Bunyaviridae family, are primarily transmitted through mosquitoes. This makes them arboviruses - a group of viruses transmitted by arthropods, like mosquitoes or ticks. While different species of mosquitoes may transmit these viruses, their transmission cycle typically involves mosquito to animal and mosquito to human transmission.
Unlike some other Bunyaviridae members that are mosquito-borne, the hantavirus is primarily a rodent-borne disease. Humans typically contract hantavirus through contact with rodent urine, feces, or saliva. Common means of transmission include breathing in dust that is contaminated with rodent urine or droppings, direct contact with rodents or their urine and droppings, and rarely, via a bite from an infected rodent.
The Golgi body complex plays a crucial role in the replication cycle of the bunyaviruses including hantavirus, California encephalitis virus, and Rift Valley fever virus. After the these viruses enter a host cell and their RNA is released into the cytoplasm, the genetic material is replicated and its proteins are synthesized. These newly formed components are then assembled into new virus particles in the Golgi complex before being released from the host cell.
Hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) with symptoms like fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, later progressing to respiratory distress. Additionally, it can lead to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), characterized by fever, bleeding, and acute kidney failure. Both conditions can be severe and potentially fatal.
