Week Ten: West Nile Virus

Common Name: West Nile Virus

Scientific Name: Flavivirus, West Nile Virus type

Not-So-Fun Fact: There is no current vaccine to protect the public against West Nile virus, though scientists are hoping that they will soon be able to create one.

Taxonomy: It is contested among the scientific community exactly how viruses should be classified, because many scientists do not consider them to be proper organisms. Below is the taxonomic classification after the general grouping of Virus:

Class: Class 4 ssRNA positive-sense viruses

Order: The family flaviviridae has not been assigned to a specific order yet.

Family: Flaviviridae

Genus: Flavivirus

Environment: West Nile Virus is carried by mosquitoes, and other hosts susceptible to the virus include humans and various birds. This virus is prevalent in Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia, and since 1999, in the continental United States.

Description: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that seventy to eighty percent of people infected with West Nile Virus never experience symptoms. Those who do are divided into two groups based on the severity of their illness. Twenty percent of those infected experience this milder but still temporarily debilitating set, which includes aching of the head and body, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and a rash. The general weakness or malaise of this type can last for weeks or even months after the initial onset of disease, though these victims are far more fortunate than the severe cases. This latter group can develop the swelling and inflammation of the brain and spinal tissues known as encephalitis and meningitis.

Reproduction & Development: West Nile Virus is spread between humans, other mammals, and birds only via the bite of a mosquito. Once inside its host, it spreads between cells, invading each and copying itself using cellular material until it bursts out and spreads again throughout the body. If another mosquito feeds on the host, it may contract the infection itself and continue to spread the parasite.

Nutrition: West Nile Virus is a parasite. It attacks its host cells and steals nutrients and water to survive, in the process severely damaging or in rare cases even killing the host.