Bunyamwera Virus: Profile and Information

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The Bunyamwera virus is a single-stranded RNA virus named after Bunyamwera, a town in west Uganda, where the Riboviral species was isolated in 1943.

The Bunyaviridae is scientifically known as the Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus (BUNV).

It is a family of arthropod-borne, spherical enveloped RNA viruses responsible for several febrile diseases in humans and other vertebrates.

The virus has either a rodent host or an arthropod vector and a vertebrate host.

Virus Classification of Bunyamwera Virus

(unranked): Virus
Realm: Ribovira
Kingdom: Orthornavirae
Phylum: Negarnaviricota
Class: Ellioviricetes
Order: Bunyavirales
Family: Peribunyaviridee
Genus: Orthobunyavirus
Species: Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus

First discovered in Uganda, the bunyamwera virus was mostly isolated to Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, and most of the sub-Saharan African regions.

Also, the antibodies have been widely detected in people with high prevalence (up to 82%) in these same regions and in domestic animals, other primates, rodents, and birds.

As part of the Yellow fever surveillance effort in Africa in 1943, the virus was first isolated from several Aedes species of mosquitoes (commonly known as the Yellow fever mosquitoes) in the Semliki forest, Uganda, as this mosquito is labeled as the primary vector of this virus.

Though the condition where the virus enters the bloodstream and accesses the rest of the body capable of supporting mosquito transmission has been recorded in rodents, bats, and non-human primates, the full history of the virus is still unclear and unresolved to science.

This virus has been isolated and discovered to be the cause and co-cause of several infections and illnesses in sub-Saharan regions.

Some of these isolated strands include the most common Ngari, Batai, Playas, Potosi, Tensaw, and so on.

The Ngari virus, for instance, has been linked with large outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) – an illness characterized by fever and severe bleeding disorder- in places like Kenya and Somalia.

Bunyamwera Fever

In humans, the Bunyamwera virus causes an infection called the bunyamwera fever. This fever is usually associated with pediatric (children) and senior citizen infections as their immune systems tend to be weaker than average adults.

The virus is mosquito-borne, and it is associated with mild symptoms such as, fever, joint pain, and rash in many mammals and humans.

The Bunyamwera may cause a mild flu-like illness in humans and is associated with more disease in ruminant animals, where it manifests itself by causing abortions, premature births, and genetic abnormality.

Rift Valley Fever Virus, a close relative to the bunyamwera virus, causes hemorrhagic hepatitis, encephalitis, renal failure, or blindness.

The bunyamwera fever caused by BUNV is naturally maintained by blood-feeding mosquitoes and susceptible vertebrate hosts.

Experimental studies showed that Aedes mosquitoes are competent to transmit BUNV, and evidence from these studies suggests the Aedes mosquitoes might be the primary mosquito vector and outbreaks of Human febrile illnesses like in Sudan 1988 and Somalia-Kenya in 1997 to 1998 coincide with episodes of unusually heavy rains and extensive flooding in areas that are normally arid.

This seasonal pattern resembles the Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV), the primary vector of which is the Aedes mosquitoes.

Control of the multiplication and spread of Bunyamwera virus can be achieved by controlling the vector arthropods and vaccination of Humans for Bunyamwera fever and of Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndromes and of sheep and cattle for Rift Valley Fever.

Also, Controlling the rodent host is vital for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Proper protective clothing, repellents, bed nets, and house screens are effective against the vectors; rodenticides are further used in hemorrhagic fever outbreaks with renal syndrome.

Pesticides are also used on a community/area-wide basis, as well as breeding sites for arthropods like stagnant water bodies and open sewages. Proper disposal of materials that openly collect rainwater is also a very effective way of controlling the spread of the viruses.

Medical personnel who tend to infectious patients should protect themselves by wearing overalls and marks to prevent aerosol infection. Critical precautions should be followed in handling needles, surgical instruments, and every material associated with these patients to prevent accidental transmission by blood.

Summary

The Bunyamwera Virus is mostly prominent in Africa. Evidence suggests that the virus is closely related to some disturbing regional outbreaks over the last decades, such as the Ebola viral outbreak.

Since its origin, vector, and host are known, adequate preventive measures should be implemented to combat and prevent further outbreaks.

Children should mostly be protected against mosquito bites, and any rodent infestation should be treated as an emergency.

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