The Ecology and Epidemiology of Kunjin Virus

DNA vaccine coding for the full-length infectious Kunjin virus RNA protects mice against the New York strain of West Nile virus

“…KUN-specific antibody responses in unimmunized mice or mice receiving defective DNA could not be detected (ELISA titer Ͻ40). Neutralizing antibody to KUN virus was also detected in sera of mice immunized with pKUN1 DNA (titers of [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] or FLSD virus (titers of 40). Slightly higher levels of antibody as measured by ELISA and virus neutralization correlated with a longer period of viremia in FLSD-immunized mice (Table 1).…”

“…Because of the homology with WN NY99 and other lineage 1 strains of WN virus (8), KUN virus was arbitrarily reclassified as a subtype of WN virus by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (9). However, unlike WN virus, KUN produces only rare nonfatal cases of human and equine disease (10). Indeed, comparative studies of the New York WN strain and KUN virus have revealed that 1,000-to 10,000-fold more infectious virus of the latter is required to produce disease in adult mice by peripheral inoculation (11).…”

Last 20 aa of the West Nile virus NS1′ protein are responsible for its retention in cells and the formation of unique heat-stable dimers

“…WNV also causes incidental infections in humans and other mammals, with~5 % of symptomatic infections involving neurological symptoms, such as encephalitis and meningitis (Beckham & Tyler, 2009). Kunjin (WNV KUN ) is the prevalent strain of WNV within Australia (Hall et al, 2002) and is highly attenuated compared with strains common to the USA, such as the strain responsible for the spread of WNV to the USA in 1999 (WNV NY99 ) (Lanciotti et al, 1999). WNV KUN has been used extensively as a model for WNV infection since it was first isolated in 1960 (Doherty et al, 1963;Westaway et al, 2002Westaway et al, , 2003.…”

West Nile Virus (Kunjin Subtype) Disease in the Northern Territory of Australia—A Case of Encephalitis and Review of All Reported Cases

“…These encephalitic viruses are enzootic across the top end of the Northern Territory (NT) and the Kimberly region of Western Australia and probably as far north as Queensland. 2 Water birds serve as primary reservoirs of the virus, which is maintained and amplified in mosquitobird cycles, with epizootic spread of WNV/KUNV into central and southern areas of Australia with the movement of viremic water birds and increased mosquito numbers in the setting of above average rainfall. 3 WNV/KUNV was previously designated as a separate species, but recent molecular phylogeny has shown that it is a subtype of the WNV group.…”

“…5 Infection with WNV/KUNV is less severe than the WNV/New York 1999 (NY99) strain in both humans and animals. 2 Currently, there is limited information about the clinical spectrum of disease caused by WNV/KUNV because of both the rarity of clinical cases and difficulties with routine serological tests distinguishing WNV/KUNV infection from other flaviviruses endemic to the NT, such as MVEV, Kokobera virus, Alfuy virus, Edge Hill virus, and Stratford virus. 6 Of these viruses, only MVEV and WNV/KUNV have been shown to cause encephalitis in humans.…”