Illness caused by a Kokobera-like virus in south-eastern Australia

Three patients who lived in south-eastern Australia and who suffered acute polyarticular illnesses in the summer months of 1983-1984 and 1984-1985 are described. Two patients lived in the southwestern plains of New South Wales and one in Bairnsdale in eastern Victoria. Serological studies implicated Kokobera virus, a flavivirus, as the likely causative agent. This would appear to be the first report to indicate the pathogenicity of Kokobera virus.