O'nyong-nyong fever: An epidemic virus disease in East Africa

Abstract

1.1) The virus responsible for the epidemic of o'nyong-nyong (ONN) fever has been isolated from the serum of a febrile patient.2.2) Using 1-day-old mice, isolation was achieved by inoculation of diluted serum and diluted brain passage material.3.3) O'nyong-nyong virus is an arthropod-borne virus belonging to the Group A of Casals and Brown, and is closely related to chikungunya virus.4.4) Plaque inhibition tests in tissue culture have shown it to be distinct from chikungunya virus.5.5) A patchy alopecia was noticed in some of the inoculated mice, and was shown to be associated with ONN virus infection; it is suggested that such hair changes in mice may be of value as indications of other arthropod-borne virus infections.