Non-Vector Transmission of Dengue and Other Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses¶

A number of mosquito-borne viruses in the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, cause significant illnesses in humans. These diseases include dengue, yellow fever, West Nile fever, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis. The viruses cause syndromes that can be generally classified as one of three types: haemorrhagic fever, fever with rash and arthralgia, and encephalitis. Transmission of dengue virus following mucocutaneous exposure has recently been documented. Transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) without a mosquito vector has also been reported. We review the literature and summarize reported cases and routes of non-vector transmission of the six medically most important mosquito-borne flaviviruses. We also compare the biological characteristics of the viruses in humans and discuss how this could influence the probability of non-mosquito transmission.