Cat Que Virus: Causes, Symptoms, Complications, And Treatment

First discovered in the streets of northern Vietnam, the Cat Que virus was first detected in children in 2004 and declared as a separate disease from mosquitoes and children with viral encephalitis. In its nature, the virus falls under the category of Arthropod-borne viruses whereas it shares identical characteristics as the Bunyavirus family of Bunyaviridae.

Cat Que virus was detected in Culex mosquitoes but later found in domestic pigs and Jungle Myna acts as a natural host. Even though there is no scientific evidence that direct or indirect contact from infected animals and birds transmit the disease to humans, Culex mosquitoes have been primarily seen to transfer the viral disease.

The arboviral disease can be described as a group of viruses that cause infections to spread to people through a bite of infected arthropods or insects such as Culex mosquitoes.

Due to low immune structures, many young children and adults get prone to disease. People who are living in or around infected mosquito prone are more likely to get infected from the disease than those who are just visiting the fields.

Scientists are still looking for surface signs that determine the presence of the Cat Que virus in animals, but they have successfully discovered the symptoms of Arboviral disease in humans, some of which may include fever and viral encephalitis.

Bunyavirus is a form of virus that belongs to the family Bunyaviridae. Which envelopes virus particles that are about 80–120 nm in diameter in nucleocapsid which is made up of protein shell, or capsid, and viral nucleic acids which are helical and elongated. Viruses that belong to the family of bunyavirus are transmitted by arthropods like ticks, mosquitoes, and sand flies. These forms of the virus can cause serious human disease, depending upon the severity and type of virus viral hemorrhagic fever may vary in each case.

Bunyavirus genome is made up of three segments namely large, medium, and small. These segments contain single-stranded negative-sense RNA or ribonucleic acid. The genome encodes an endogenous RNA polymerase enzyme that is used by the virus for the translation, or synthesis, of proteins to convert negative-sense RNA into positive-sense RNA.

Bunyavirus family contains five general categories:

• Phlebovirus
• Orthobunyavirus
• Tospovirus
• Nairovirus
• Hantavirus

Like any other mosquito species, the Culex mosquito also shares a common life cycle, from egg, larva, pupa and finally, the adult stage and the cycle repeats its existence throughout the life. Usually, male and female mosquitoes both don't strive for human blood, but when reproduction takes place, female mosquitoes start to hunt to nourish the offspring.

A female Culex mosquito lays eggs on surfaces of fresh or stagnant water which can be found in things like horse troughs, puddles, barrels, ditches, creeks, ornamental ponds, not cleaned swimming pools, and marshy areas. Culex mosquitoes lay one egg at a time, eggs start to stick together to form a raft that floats on the water normally including 100 to 300 eggs.

Once the mosquito eggs hatch, the Larvae start to live their lives in water. The larvae become very active and are known as “wigglers”. They grow by feeding on a variety of things that can be found in the water body and shed their skin (known as molt) several times during this stage until they grow into a pupa.

Like larvae, the pupae or pupa also live in water, but they do not feed in the water as the external mouthparts that larva has now converted into a sting-like structure. They grow in water until they emerge into an adult mosquito and fly out of the water.

When ready to reproduce, adult female mosquitoes look for the host (like humans and animals) to collect blood for egg production. Since Culex mosquitoes don’t fly long distances, they look for the stagnant water body and host within 2 miles (3.2 km) to lay eggs and feed on blood. As mentioned earlier the female lays eggs one at a time and may take a long period of time to complete the whole reproduction cycle.

Common symptoms among human beings in the case of cat que virus can be:

• Paediatric encephalitis
• Meningitis
• Acute fever

Since cat que virus is an arboviral infection, the symptoms that one can see in case of arboviral infection can also be seen here, these symptoms may include:

• Slight fever
• Headache
• Muscle or joint pain
• Skin rash
• Headache
• Confusion
• Paralysis
• High fever
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Coma

These symptoms may range from very mild ( some may not even feel) to very severe ( may lead to death). The symptom usually appears within 3 to 14 days after an infected mosquito bite.

Even though there are no specific treatments available for arboviral infections, the healthcare provider mainly focuses on easing the discomfort caused by the symptoms. Since each case has a different level of severity and set of treatment, one cannot determine which medication or stagnant course of treatment will be appropriate for the patient.

• Avoid insect bites: The first and the foremost prevention method to avoid any parasitic attack is to prevent oneself from any insect bite. Avoid places with open grounds and places with a high population of insects. Also, the time between the hours of dusk and dawn is meal time for the insects so it's better to be more precautious for any insect bite.
• Insect control: Things like insect nets, indoor residual spraying, or personal protection measures like full covered clothes and insect repent ointments can be used to protect oneself from an insect bite. Also, proper hygiene and sanitization in living and working spaces and their surroundings may eliminate any possibility of insect growth.
• Apart from general prevention: It is important to prevent oneself from infection if the person is already infected to avoid any further complications. Here are some of the methods that one can adopt to avoid any further infection:
  • Sleep under an insect repellent net.
  • Cut long grass.
  • Cover stored water securely.
  • Remove old tires.
  • Wear long sleeves and full clothes the entire day & night.
  • Remove potential indoor breeding habitats including water tray under the fridge, Vases, stored water, empty bottles & cans.
  • Maintain personal and environmental hygiene.
  • Don’t leave empty buckets, tins, bottles, or drums around, turn upside down to prevent stagnant water from forming.
  • Clear leaves and other rubbish from roof gutters and from around the house.
  • Remove coconut shells and husks.
  • Use mosquito repellent on exposed skin indoors and outdoors.
  • Work with your village or neighborhood to remove common breeding habitats from shared areas.
  • Maintain physical exercise.
  • Take care of the wound, keep it dry and well dressed.
  • Install flywire on your windows and doors.

Summary: Cat Que virus is an Arthropod-borne virus whereas it shares identical characteristics as the Bunyavirus family. The virus was detected in Culex mosquitoes but later found in domestic pigs and Jungle Myna acts as a natural host.