Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 9, 2026

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
Published on: June 16, 2011
Silent Circulation of Ross River Virus in French Polynesia
Maite Aubry1, Jérôme Finke2, Anita Teissier1
1Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institut Louis Malardé, PO BOX 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Objectives:
Ross River is an emerging mosquito-borne disease in the Western Pacific. Ross River virus (RRV) circulation has been sporadically reported in some Pacific Island Countries and Territories but never in French Polynesia. To determine if RRV has circulated locally among the French Polynesian population, we conducted a seroprevalence study on blood donors.
Methods:
Sera of 593 blood donors were collected from July 2011 to October 2013 and tested by ELISA for the presence of RRV-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies.
Results:
A total of 204 (34.40%) blood donors were found seropositive for RRV. Among the 132 blood donors that were born in French Polynesia and had never travelled abroad, 56 (42.42%) had RRV-specific IgGs.
Discussion:
Our results support the existence of autochthonous RRV transmission and suggest that this pathogen has silently circulated in French Polynesia. These findings raise the question of possible undetected circulation of RRV in other Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
Related Concept Videos
Retroviruses
Viruses with RNA Genomes

