Ecology
In rural and regional areas of Australia, the continued prevalence of Ross River virus is thought to be supported by natural reservoirs such as large marsupial mammals. Antibodies to Ross River virus have been found in a wide variety of placental and marsupial mammals, and also in a few bird species. It is not presently known what reservoir hosts support Ross River virus in metropolitan areas such as Brisbane.
The Southern Saltmarsh mosquito (Aedes camptorhynchus) which is known to carry the Ross River virus was discovered in New Zealand in 1998, and there is an ongoing eradication program by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, involving spraying the insecticide Bti on infested areas. As of June 2007 there have been no reported cases of Ross River Virus that arose in New Zealand.
Read more about this topic: Ross River Virus
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