Reference no: EM133476299

Case: As a member of a virology public health laboratory in North Queensland you are currently investigating a mysterious neurological disease of 5 patients whose serum samples have been sent to your lab for routine viral diagnostics. The samples were negative for all viral infections (exotic and endemic to Australia) known to be associated with those symptoms. However, from one of the samples you managed to isolate a virus by culturing the serum on both human and mosquito cells. Deep sequencing of the viral genome revealed it to be a new (not previously reported) positive-strand RNA virus with genetic similarity to a new group of viruses isolated from mosquitoes. Some of the patients also reported a history of mosquito bites in the weeks prior to the disease onset. Based on a hypothesis that this is an acute viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes:

Describe the design of an epidemiological investigation to establish that the new virus you have isolated is the causative agent of the disease in these 5 patients. In your answer:

Question 1: Describe the design of both retrospective and cohort studies and two (2) main diagnostic techniques you would use in these studies;

Question 2: Explain how your study design would contribute to fulfilling Koch's postulates;

Question 3: Briefly describe an additional epidemiolocal study that could be undertaken to provide supporting evidence of your hypothesis of mosquito-borne transmission.