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Author | Barker, S.C. | ||||
Title | The Australian paralysis tick may be the missing link in the transmission of Hendra virus from bats to horses to humans | Type | Journal Article | ||
Year | 2003 | Publication | Medical Hypotheses | Abbreviated Journal | Med Hypotheses |
Volume | 60 | Issue | 4 | Pages | 481-483 |
Keywords | Animals; Chiroptera; *Disease Transmission; Ecology; Hendra Virus/*pathogenicity; Horses; Humans; Models, Theoretical; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Ticks/*virology | ||||
Abstract | Hendra virus is a new virus of the family Paramyxoviridae. This virus was first detected in Queensland, Australia, in 1994; although, it seems that the virus has infected fruit-eating bats (flying-foxes) for a very long time. At least 2 humans and 15 horses have been killed by this virus since it first emerged as a virus that may infect mammals other than flying-foxes. Hendra virus is thought to have moved from flying-foxes to horses, and then from horses to people. There is a reasonably strong hypothesis for horse-to-human transmission: transmission of virus via nasal discharge, saliva and/or urine. In contrast, there is no strong hypothesis for flying-fox-to-human transmission. I present evidence that the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, which has apparently only recently become a parasite of flying-foxes, may transmit Hendra virus and perhaps related viruses from flying-foxes to horses and other mammals. | ||||
Address | Department of Microbiology and Parisitology, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, ARC Special Research Center for Functional and Applied Genomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. s.barker@imb.uq.edu.au | ||||
Corporate Author | Thesis | ||||
Publisher | Place of Publication | Editor | |||
Language | English | Summary Language | Original Title | ||
Series Editor | Series Title | Abbreviated Series Title | |||
Series Volume | Series Issue | Edition | |||
ISSN | 0306-9877 | ISBN | Medium | ||
Area | Expedition | Conference | |||
Notes | PMID:12615503 | Approved | no | ||
Call Number | Equine Behaviour @ team @ | Serial | 2641 | ||
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