Epidemiology of the arthropod-borne encephalitides.

Since the recognition that louping-ill, known for well over 100 years as an epizootic disease of sheep in Scotland, was caused by a virus transmitted by arthropods, many other arthropod-borne viruses capable of causing encephalitis in domestic animals or man have been discovered. The author reviews here the knowledge at present available on these viruses, originally termed "arthropod-borne encephalitides viruses" but now often referred to as "arbor viruses".In this discussion of the host and vector relationships of the two broad groups of arbor viruses - the mosquito-borne and the tick-borne-and of the distribution, epidemiology and control of the various diseases they cause, the author includes an outline of the types of investigation likely to provide the most useful information, stressing in this connexion the value of ecological surveys.