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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1995 Jun 6;92(12):5278–5281. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.12.5278

Emergence of a new epidemic/epizootic Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in South America.

R Rico-Hesse 1, S C Weaver 1, J de Siger 1, G Medina 1, R A Salas 1
PMCID: PMC41677  PMID: 7777497

Abstract

One of the most important questions in arbovirology concerns the origin of epidemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses; these viruses caused periodic, extensive epidemics/epizootics in the Americas from 1938-1973 (reaching the United States in 1971) but had recently been presumed extinct. We have documented the 1992 emergence of a new epidemic/epizootic VEE virus in Venezuela. Phylogenetic analysis of strains isolated during two outbreaks indicated that the new epidemic/epizootic virus(es) evolved recently from an enzootic VEE virus in northern South America. These results suggest continued emergence of epizootic VEE viruses; surveillance of enzootic viruses and routine vaccination of equines should therefore be resumed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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