The Nile virus is actually called West Nile virus and belongs to a family of
viruses called the Flaviviridae that contains the genus Flavivirus (type
species is yellow fever virus - flavi means yellow). These virsuses are
transmitted by the bite of a mosquito.
The genus is diverse (about 60-70 species) and has traditionally been broken
down into sub-groups of which the West Nile virus is one such subgroup. The
viruses are usually typed serologically, ie by the antibodies that the body
produces in response to the infection.
It may be that a closely related virus has been identified but that only
flavivirologists would recognise its name or that a West Nile virus that is
slightly different has been identified.
This is not unusual. The West Nile virus that I worked on for part of my
PhD was different to those found elsewhere.
Hope that this helps.
Dr Geoff Crawford
Access Academix
89 Dellfield Drive
Templestowe VIC 3106
Australia
Phone +61 3 981 272 80
Mobile +61 412 599 649
Email access_academix at optusnet.com.au
I don't like spam! <spam.spam at spam.spam.com> wrote in message
news:v07yN8y10e3RdhiX58V0tA6LPDno at 4ax.com...
> Out of curiosity, more than anything else:
>> Concerning the encephalitis viral disease in the news lately: News
> coverage has described the virus as "similar to" a Nile encephalitis
> virus, but they have not come out and said that it IS the Nile virus.
> I am assuming that most of the viral types are identified genetically
> more than anything else. Can I interpret these statements that the bug
> found in the New York cases is
>> a. new and unique; an emerging disease similar but not identical to
> the Nile strain, or
>> b. the exact genetic background not yet been completely identified,
> or
>> c. none of the above
>> More out of curiosity than anything else; I have not been following
> the coverage too closely, and that which I have been hearing is from
> mass media sources, and not scientific journals/publications or such.
