ABSTRACT
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV; Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) is a zoonotic arthropod-borne pathogen that often results in severe morbidity and mortality in both humans and livestock (Bird et al., 2009; Bouloy and Flick, 2009; Bouloy and Weber, 2010; Ikegami and Makino, 2009; LaBeaud et al., 2010; Pepin et al., 2010) and was rst identied in 1930 during an outbreak in sheep in the greater Rift Valley in Kenya (Daubney and Hudson, 1932; Daubney et al., 1931). Since its geographic range continues to spread and now includes most countries in Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, it presents a real threat to naïve populations around the world by accidental
21.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 379 21.2 Biological Properties ............................................................................................................380
