Ecology and epidemiology of Ross River virus in South Australia

Ross River virus (RRV) is the most prevalent mosquito-borne pathogen in Australia, causing polyarthritic disease in approximately 4500 people each year. A great deal is known about the virology and ecology of RRV across Australia, and Chapter 1 summarizes the current state of this knowledge. However, the ecology of RRV is spatially variable and dependent on locally available vectors and hosts and in South Australia, there were significant gaps in the understanding of RRV vectors, reservoirs and spatial distribution. It was unclear why RRV infection rates varied so dramatically across the state, particularly between the low rates in the Adelaide metropolitan region and the high rates in the Murray River Valley. The research presented in this thesis systematically improves our understanding of the mosquitoes, virus and socio-ecological factors driving the state-wide variation in RRV infection risk.