Oropouche virus

Oropouche virus (OROV) is one of the most common orthobunyaviruses. When OROV infects humans, it causes a febrile illness called Oropouche fever. OROV was originally reported in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955 from the blood sample of a fever patient and from a pool of Coquillettidia venezuelensis mosquitoes. In 1960, OROV was isolated from a sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) and a pool of Ochlerotatus serratus mosquitoes in Brazil. The virus is considered a public health threat in tropical and subtropical areas of Central and South America, with over half a million infected people as of 2005. OROV is considered to be an arbovirus because it is transmitted between animals and humans by arthropods. OROV is primarily transmitted by biting midges, specifically Culicoides paraensis, but transmission by both Aedes and Culex mosquitos has been reported.