Widespread Exposure to Mosquitoborne California Serogroup Viruses in Caribou, Arctic Fox, Red Fox, and Polar Bears, Canada

Abstract

A nnual temperatures in the circumpolar Arctic are rising at 2-3 times the global average, reducing ecologic barriers for arthropod reproduction and fueling shifts in insect diversity and distribution (1,2). The northward advancement of the tree line and a 50%-60% increase in Arctic precipitation over the past 20 years provide a favorable environment for arthropod emergence (3,4). Consequently, arboviruses are a growing wildlife and public health concern in the Arctic. Limited information exists on the diversity of arboviruses in Arctic ecosystems, and few studies have identified hosts in sylvatic transmission cycles.California serogroup (CSG) viruses are antigenically and genetically related emerging vectorborne pathogens of the genus Orthobunyavirus that are found throughout North America and are associated with febrile illness and cases of neuroinvasive disease in humans (5). Pathogenic strains include La Crosse, Jamestown Canyon (JCV), California encephalitis, snowshoe hare (SSHV), Chatanga, and Inkoo viruses (6). Both JCV and SSHV have been identified as causes of arbovirus-associated neurologic diseases in North America (7). CSG viruses are transmitted through mosquitoes (Aedes, Culiseta, and Anopheles spp.

California Serogroup Viruses in a Changing Canadian Arctic: A Review

“…Under present and future climate warming scenarios, both SSHV and JCV are predicted to undergo northward range expansion in Subarctic and Arctic regions, where a wide range of mammals already have evidence of exposure to these viruses [ 90 ]. As infection with these viruses typically results in transient viremia, most of the published literature from Canada has focused on antibody detection in humans and animals using a competitive ELISA and/or a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) [ 51 , 91 ]. This has revealed a wide range of hosts that can become infected, including humans, lagomorphs, rodents, foxes, polar bears, domesticated livestock (horses, cows, and sheep), and multiple cervids [ 51 , 76 , 91 , 92 , 93 ].…”

“…As infection with these viruses typically results in transient viremia, most of the published literature from Canada has focused on antibody detection in humans and animals using a competitive ELISA and/or a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) [ 51 , 91 ]. This has revealed a wide range of hosts that can become infected, including humans, lagomorphs, rodents, foxes, polar bears, domesticated livestock (horses, cows, and sheep), and multiple cervids [ 51 , 76 , 91 , 92 , 93 ]. However, there are relatively few mammalian hosts that are thought to be competent reservoirs for the viruses: small mammals (rodents and lagomorphs) for SSHV and wild cervids for JCV [ 94 , 95 , 96 ].…”

“…Though many species of mosquitoes can carry both SSHV and JCV, there may be differences in vector feeding preferences for some competent vectors, which may contribute to the differences in exposure that are observed in different taxa [ 99 ]. Caribou appear to play an important role in the maintenance of JCV in northern ecosystems, as they are highly exposed and are the most common cervid north of the treeline [ 91 ]. This is consistent with a previous study that identified white-tailed deer as amplifying hosts for JCV in the United States [ 100 ].…”

Snowshoe hare virus: discovery, distribution, vector and host associations, and medical significance

“…Antibodies to SSHV have been found in other species of wild mammals, including moose ( Alces alces americana ) in Nova Scotia ( McFarlane et al 1981b ), and mule deer ( 0docoileus hemionus hemionus ), black-tailed deer ( O. hemionus columbianus ), and Roosevelt elk ( Cervus elaphus roosevelti ) in Oregon ( Eldridge et al 1987 ). Buhler et al (2023) reported IgM antibodies to JCV and/or SSHV, as measured by a competitive ELISA procedure, in sera of caribou ( Rangifer tarandus [L.]), Arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus [L.]), red fox ( Vulpes vulpes [L.]), and polar bear ( Ursus maritimus Phipps), and attributed rising seroprevalence from 1986 to 2017 to increasing temperatures in the arctic regions of Canada where the samples were acquired. Forty of 100 (40%) snowshoe hare sera were positive for antibodies to SSHV in studies conducted from 2009 to 2012 in the northern Greater Yellowstone area of Wyoming, USA.…”

Antiviral Activity of Acetylsalicylic Acid against Bunyamwera Virus in Cell Culture

“…The incidence of bunyaviruses is growing due to several factors, such as climate change and globalization which favor spreading of arthropod vectors [13][14][15]. Thus, reports of novel bunyaviruses that cause severe disease are frequent [16][17][18][19][20].…”