Public Health Risks Associated with Influenza D, Chikungunya, and Zika Virus Infections: Virology in the Context of One Healt

Influenza, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses all pose current or emerging threats to public health. The project work was designed to provide a breadth of experience and knowledge of virology in terms of public health. There were three objectives: (a) to apply serology and virology techniques to determine whether influenza D virus-specific antibodies are present in an at-risk population, (b) to identify and sequence viruses isolated from the plasma of patients with undifferentiated febrile illnesses during an arbovirus outbreak, and (c) to detect/identify arboviruses in travelers to Central American and Caribbean countries with suspected arbovirus illnesses.;Influenza D virus (IDV) is a newly emerging virus of cattle and swine, and recent studies suggest it also affects goats and sheep. A cross-sectional serosurvey of 35 cattle workers and 11 non-cattle exposed controls revealed an IDV antibody response in 94% of individuals with occupational exposure to cattle.;An outbreak of Chikungunya Fever occurred in Haiti during May to August 2014, followed by Dengue virus (DENV) type 1 and DENV type 4 outbreaks. During this period, 100 clinical plasma samples tested positive for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), of which eight were co-infected with either DENV type 2 (n=1), Mayaro virus (n=1), or Zika virus (ZIKV) (n=6). Genetic characterization of the circulating CHIKV strains revealed high similarity within Haiti (>99%) and among strains from Caribbean countries (>97%).;Zika virus emerged in the Americas in 2015, leading to numerous travel warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the first six months of 2016, four individuals returned from either Haiti (n=3) or Colombia (n=1) with symptoms of arbovirus infection. Specimens were collected and tested for the presence of ZIKV, DENV, or CHIKV by molecular and virus isolation methods. Three travelers tested positive by RT-PCR for ZIKV, and two of the three individuals had co-infections, one each with CHIKV and DENV type 2.;Information gathered through these studies furthers our scientific understanding of IDV serology and the zoonotic risks IDV may pose to humans, and the ability to detect and isolate viruses from different types of specimens collected from humans with suspected arbovirus diseases.