West Nile virus is an arbovirus spread by infected mosquitoes that can cause febrile illness, encephalitis, or meningitis. It was first identified in Africa in 1937 and outbreaks occurred in Algeria in 1994 and Romania in 1996. The first case in the United States was detected in New York City in 1999, after which it spread across the continental US, into Canada, and parts of the Caribbean and Latin America over the next 5 years.

1. West Nile Virus
West Nile virus is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) most commonly
spread by infected mosquitoes. West Nile virus can cause febrile illness,
encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of
the lining of the brain and spinal cord).
In 1937, West
Nile Virus was
first identified
in Africa
In 1994, it out
broke in Algeria
In 1996, a large
outbreak in
Romania
In 1999, the
first case was
detected in
New York City
Over the next 5 years,
the virus spread
across the continental
United States, north
into Canada, and
southward into the
Caribbean islands and
Latin America
(Source: www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/genQuestions.html)

2. The total number of West Nile
Virus submissions and references
(including both published and
unpublished papers) from 1985 to
2012 was 609.
Since West Nile Virus was
first identified in North
America in 1999, there
was an increase of
references in 1999.
Data Source: GenBank

3. Researchers from the USA
have contributed the
largest number of
submissions since 1999, the
year when West Nile Virus
was first detected in New
York City.

4. As time goes by, not only does the number of
submissions increase, but also the number of authors
per submissions increases.

5. Each color represents a
different continent. The
named researchers are
bridge nodes who act as
connectors between
continents.