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Togaviruses and flaviviruses
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
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Togaviruses (Latin toga - cloak) are divided into 3 genera:
- alpha viruses (arboviruses of antigen group A) with the type species - Sindbis virus;
- rubivirus;
- the only representative is the rubella virus: it is not an arbovirus, it is transmitted by airborne droplets;
- Pestiviruses, including animal plague viruses that affect mucous membranes, are also not arboviruses.
Flaviviruses (arboviruses of antigenic group B), typical - yellow fever virus.
All alpha- and most flaviviruses are polyhost and circulate in nature between vertebrates and arthropods. Among them, many are causative agents of severe human diseases - yellow fever, hemorrhagic fevers, tick-borne and Japanese encephalitis, dengue, etc. All alphaviruses are ecologically associated with mosquitoes; flaviviruses are associated with mosquitoes and ticks, but some of them are isolated only from vertebrates.