Long-term co-circulation of multiple arboviruses in southeast Australia revealed by xeno-monitoring and viral whole-genome sequencing.

Arbovirus surveillance of wild-caught mosquitoes is an affordable and sensitive means of monitoring virus transmission dynamics at various spatial-temporal scales, and emergence and re-emergence during epidemic and interepidemic periods. A variety of molecular diagnostics for arbovirus screening of mosquitoes (known as xeno-monitoring) are available, but most provide limited information about virus diversity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based screening coupled with RNA sequencing is an increasingly affordable and sensitive pipeline for integrating complete viral genome sequencing into surveillance programs.

Uncovering the genetic diversity within the virome and isolation of new viruses from this highly urbanised and invasive mosquito.

The Australian backyard mosquito, , is a highly urbanised pest species that has invaded New Zealand and the USA. Importantly, has been implicated as a vector of Ross River virus, a common and arthritogenic arbovirus in Australia, and is a laboratory vector of numerous other pathogenic viruses, including West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. To further explore live viruses harboured by field populations of and, more specifically, assess the genetic diversity of its virome, we processed 495 pools, comprising a total of 6,674 female collected across fifteen suburbs in Brisbane, Australia, between January 2018 and May 2019.

Impact of COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Mosquito-Borne Diseases in 2020 in Queensland, Australia.

We describe the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on mosquito-borne diseases in Queensland, Australia, during the first half of 2020. Implementation of restrictions coincided with an atypical late season outbreak of Ross River virus (RRV) characterized by a peak in notifications in April (1173) and May (955) which were greater than 3-fold the mean observed for the previous four years. We propose that limitations on human movement likely resulted in the majority of RRV infections being acquired at or near the place of residence, and that an increase in outdoor activities, such as gardening and bushwalking in the local household vicinity, increased risk of exposure to RRV-infected mosquitoes.

Utilising a novel surveillance system to enhance field screening activities for the leishmaniases.

Over the last decade, an arbovirus surveillance system based on the preservation of nucleic acids (RNA/DNA) has been developed using Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards. Soaked in honey, FTA cards are applied in the field to detect arboviruses expectorated during mosquito sugar feeding. This technique has been shown to be inexpensive and efficient, and the implementation of this system for detecting parasites could be of international importance.

Utilising a novel surveillance system to investigate species of () (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as the suspected vectors of (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Darwin region of Australia.

Up until recently, Australia was considered free of due to the absence of phlebotomine sandfly species (Diptera: Phlebotominae) known to transmit parasites in other parts of the world. The discovery of () (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Northern Australia sparked questions as to the existence of alternative vectors of . This has added to the complexity of fully understanding the parasite's interaction with its vector, which is known to be very specific.

Associations Between Ross River Virus Infection in Humans and Vector-Vertebrate Community Ecology in Brisbane, Australia.

Transmission of vector-borne pathogens can vary in complexity from single-vector, single-host systems through to multivector, multihost vertebrate systems. Understanding the dynamics of transmission is important for disease prevention efforts, but is dependent on disentangling complex interactions within coupled natural systems. Ross River virus (RRV) is a multivector multihost pathogen responsible for the greatest number of notified vector-borne pathogen infections in humans in Australia.

Epidemiologic, Entomologic, and Virologic Factors of the 2014-15 Ross River Virus Outbreak, Queensland, Australia.

Australia experienced its largest recorded outbreak of Ross River virus (RRV) during the 2014-15 reporting year, comprising >10,000 reported cases. We investigated epidemiologic, entomologic, and virologic factors that potentially contributed to the scale of the outbreak in Queensland, the state with the highest number of notifications (6,371). Spatial analysis of human cases showed that notifications were geographically widespread.

Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP): Development of a novel system for detecting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Background: The globally important Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses are primarily transmitted by the invasive mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Australia, there is an increasing risk that these species may invade highly urbanized regions and trigger outbreaks. We describe the development of a Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP) system to expedite presence- absence surveys for both species.