VSV-NJ on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. The truth is out there

Ossabaw Island, Georgia, is the only recognized enzootic focus of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey (VSV-NJ) in the United States and has been the subject of VSV-NJ research since 1981. To date, VSV-NJ antibodies have been detected only from feral swine, cattle, equines, deer, and raccoons. VSV-NJ transmission occurs annually, is seasonal, and is associated with the maritime forest. Despite high transmission rates the clinical disease is rarely detected. A sand fly (Lutzomyia shannoni) occurs on the Island, and experimental and field data suggest that it is a biological vector of VSV-NJ at this site. Many questions relating to the epidemiology of VSV-NJ on Ossabaw remain. What is the maintenance cycle of VSV-NJ? Is a vertebrate amplifying host(s) needed? Are other insect vectors involved in mechanical or biological transmission? Why do vesicular lesions develop on some but not all infected animals? Do native and domestic animals play the same role in the maintenance cycle? These questions challenge researchers in all areas where VSV-NJ occurs. It is our hope that Ossabaw Island will provide a much needed model system for gaining insight into the epidemiology of this virus.