ARBO-UK Study

ARBO-UK: Understanding the burden of imported arbovirus infection into the UK

Arbovirus infections are caused by viruses spread by insects such as mosquitoes or ticks (called arthropods). When bitten by one of these insects, the viruses can lead to illness in humans including those caused by Japanese encephalitis, Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, Yellow Fever virus and Zika virus.

Arbovirus infections can cause a range of human illnesses. Sometimes people may not be aware they have been infected but more commonly people can experience headaches, muscle aches, high temperatures and a rash. Some people can experience very severe illnesses such as excessive bleeding (haemorrhage) throughout the body or inflammation in the brain (encephalitis).

Arboviruses are found worldwide, mostly in tropical regions and are an increasing problem due to climate change. It is unusual to get an arbovirus directly in the UK although there are some that affect animals and very rarely also affect people. More commonly, they cause illnesses in returning travellers to the UK.

ARBO-UK aims to better understand how patients with an arbovirus are affected and treated in the UK. The study will also provide important samples for scientists to be able to develop new tests to diagnose infections and potentially develop vaccines against arboviruses in the future.

The ARBO-UK study is recruiting those who fulfil the following criteria:

  1. People who present to a hospital in the UK
  2. People with a confirmed positive test for an Arbovirus or clinical symptoms consistent with Arbovirus infection
  3. People aged 18 years and over

The participants are asked to:

  • Provide a throat swab, blood sample and questionnaire at recruitment and 1, 6 months post illness onset
  • Give permission to obtain their clinical information regarding their illness.

The study will last for 3 years and is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (HPRU-EZI) for recruitment up to 300 participants. So far, we have more than 80 patients enrolled in the study across 17 hospital sites, with more in the process of joining. The study team includes those below and can be contacted any time on arbo@liverpool.ac.uk.

Professor Lance Turtle, Chief Investigator

Dr Sam Tweed, Clinical Fellow