D3020: Exploring the epidemic potential Mayaro virus and Ross River virus in the continental United States

The emergence and re-emergence of arboviruses in the United States has accelerated in the last two decades following a century of decline. These included viruses such as West Nile virus or Chikungunya virus which were largely ignored on the grounds that they were of little public health risk before going on to cause international outbreaks sometimes afflicting millions of people. As the risk of such arboviral epidemics occurring grows due to a myriad of sociological and climatological factors, it becomes increasingly prudent to identify arboviruses of concern before they cause such an outbreak. This study will explore the epidemic potentials of Ross River virus, an arbovirus which has been subject to relatively little research but have a wide range of vectors, hosts, and large potential economic and public health impacts. To this end, I will examine the vector competence of two prolific, widespread, and well-understood disease vectors, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens, with regards to these two viruses, using qRT-PCR to quantify the viral titers in the head, legs, and body at 7 and 14 days post-oral infection.