An arbovirus surveillance military exercise was conducted to assess the risk of Ross River virus (RRV) and Barmah Forest virus (BFV) in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Wide Bay training area (WBTA), northeastern Australia, in April 2018. Of the 5,540 female mosquitoes collected, 3,702 were screened for RRV and BFV by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in a field laboratory. One pool of Verrallina funerea was positive for RRV and 8 pools (7 pools of Aedes vigilax and 1 pool of Culex annulirostris) were positive for BFV. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete nucleotide sequence of the E2 protein subgrouped both RRV and BFV with viruses previously isolated from human infections, indicating the potential risk of RRV and BFV infection to ADF personnel while training in WBTA. This is the 1st time that both RRV and BFV have been detected in a military training area.
Keywords: Australian Defence Force; Barmah Forest virus; Ross River virus; mosquitoes.