Arboviruses are a family of infectious diseases transmitted from arthropods (most commonly, blood-sucking insects) to humans or animals. In most cases, these infections would be caused by a puncture wound from the arthropod, such as a bite from a mosquito or other insect. More than 100 arboviruses exist, and they can cause infection in humans if the arthropod is successful in taking a blood meal, thus opening the host's bloodstream to the virus.
Sylvatic Life Cycle
In one life cycle option for arboviruses -- the sylvatic or "jungle" cycle -- the infection alternates between arthropod hosts and vertebrate hosts. The insect will bite the vertebrate host and infect it, then later another insect will bite that same host and contract the infection, and continue to spread it to other vertebrate hosts.
This type of life cycle comes to a dead end if an insect carries the infection to a human; once there, the infection stops reproducing and does not re-transmit to a new host.
Urban Life Cycle
Some arboviruses (such as yellow fever and dengue fever) exist in which man is not a dead-end host. In this type of arbovirus, the life cycle is an urban one, and the disease cycles between man and arthropod repeatedly, as reinfection occurs with every new bite.
Timing
Most arboviruses complete their life cycles during the summer months, from June through September. This is when the arthropods are most likely to be active and therefore able to spread the disease to people and animals.
Development of Infection
Once the arbovirus enters a human, it will most likely disappear (as in the case of the sylvatic-life-cycle arboviruses). The infection is so weak at this point that it cannot be transmitted to another host and it does not cause any symptoms in the human host.
In other cases, such as those with urban life cycles, arboviruses can cause serious difficulties for humans. For example, encephalitis is an arbovirus that causes inflammation of the brain, which can be fatal to human hosts.
Preventing Arbovirus Outbreaks
You can help yourself avoid contracting an arbovirus by taking steps to control the mosquito population around your home and protect yourself from mosquito bites. If the mosquito cannot bite you, then the arbovirus cannot enter your body and reproduce, and you will not contract the infection.
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