| Kunjin virus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Kitrinoviricota |
| Class: | Flasuviricetes |
| Order: | Amarillovirales |
| Family: | Flaviviridae |
| Genus: | Orthoflavivirus |
| Species: | |
| Serotype: | Kunjin virus |
Kunjin virus (KUNV) is azoonoticvirus of the familyFlaviviridae and the genusFlavivirus. It is a subtype ofWest Nile virus endemic toOceania.
The virus was first isolated fromCulex annulirostris mosquitoes inAustralia in 1960.[1][2]The name of Kunjin virus derives from anAboriginal clan living on theMitchell River close to where the virus was first isolated inKowanyama, northernQueensland.[1][3]
Kunjin virus is azoonoticvirus of the familyFlaviviridae and the genusFlavivirus. It is anarbovirus which is transmitted bymosquitoes and is part of theJapanese encephalitis serological complex.[4] It isantigenically and genetically very similar toWest Nile virus and in 1999 was reclassified as a subtype of WNV.[3][5] Itsgenome is positive-sense single strandedRNA made up of 10,644nucleotides.[3][4]
Infection with the virus often causes no symptoms, but it can lead to either anencephalitic disease or a non-encephalitic disease.[6] Non-encephalitic Kunjin virus disease can cause symptoms including acutefebrile illness,headache,arthralgia,myalgia,fatigue andrash.[1][6] Kunjin virus encephalitis features acute febrilemeningoencephalitis.[1]
Both forms of Kunjin virus disease are milder than the diseases caused by West Nile virus andMurray Valley encephalitis virus.[5][6]
Kunjin virus is transmitted by mosquitovectors, especially theCulex annulirostris.[3] They pass the virus to waterbird reservoirhosts; a major example is thenankeen night heron.[3] It is also passed to horses and humans.[7] The virus has been isolated in mosquitoes inSouth East Asia but in humans, only in Australia.[6] It has been found all over Australia and is particularly prevalent in areas nearwetlands and rivers.[8]
The control of Kunjin virus is achieved in the same ways as other mosquito-borne diseases. These include individuals usinginsect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothes and avoiding areas where mosquitoes are particularly prevalent.[1] Habitat control by government agencies can take the form of reducing the amount of water available for mosquitoes to breed in, and the use ofinsecticides.[9] There is no availablevaccine against Kunjin virus.[1]
In 2005, scientists at theQueensland Institute of Medical Research and theUniversity of Queensland found that modified Kunjin virus particles injected intomice were able to deliver agene into theimmune system targetingcancer cells.[10][11] This research may lead to vaccines for cancer andHIV.[10][11]