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| Meghan Hermance, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, conducts research examining arthropod-borne viruses. |
Powassan virus is a tick-borne flavivirus that encompasses two genetic lineages, Powassan and deer tick virus. In recent years, the number of reported Powassan disease cases has increased, and the geographic range of the deer tick virus tick vector, Ixodes scapularis, has expanded. The two virus strains are serologically indistinguishable, according to the research, and it's not known if clinical manifestations, pathology, or disease outcome differ between the two.
This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the clinical disease outcome in a small pre-clinical model across a spectrum of Powassan/deer tick virus infection doses, according to the authors. The scientists used this model they developed for deer tick virus pathogenesis that mimics the manifestations of Powassan disease in humans.
Because it's not known if deer tick virus and Powassan differ in their capacity to cause human disease, the model detailed in the study could be utilized in future comparative pathogenesis studies, or as a platform for testing the efficacy of vaccines, and antivirals.
Compared to other blood-feeding arthropods, ticks transmit the largest variety of human and domestic animal pathogens, including bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Tick-borne diseases accounted for more than 75% of human vector-borne disease cases reported to the United States National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System between 2004 to 2016. In recent decades, several tick-borne viruses have emerged as human and veterinary health concerns across the globe, Hermance noted.
The journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases is devoted to the world’s most neglected tropical diseases, publishing leading research and commentary on scientific, medical, political and public health aspects of forgotten diseases affecting the world’s most neglected people. The scientific journal publishes research devoted to the pathology, epidemiology, prevention, treatment and control of neglected tropical diseases and relevant public policy.
Neglected tropical diseases are defined as a group of poverty-promoting chronic infectious diseases, which primarily occur in rural areas and poor urban areas of low-income and middle-income countries. Their impact on child health and development, pregnancy and worker productivity, as well as their stigmatizing features, can limit economic stability.
To read the full article, visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0008359
