Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to South-western part of India.

These symptoms include fever and signs of neurological manifestations, such as severe headache, mental disturbances, tremors, and vision deficits.

The genome of KFDV consists of 10,774 nucleotides of single-stranded, positive-sense RNA encoding a single polyprotein that is cleaved post-translationally into three structural (C, prM/M and E) and seven non-structural (NS1, NS2a, NS2b, NS3, NS4a, NS4b and NS5) proteins.

[6][7][8] The genome of KFDV is very similar (>92% homologous) to that of Alkhurma Hemorrhagic Fever Virus which is primarily found in Saudi Arabia.

[9] A variety of animals are thought to be reservoir hosts for the disease, including porcupines, rats, squirrels, mice, and shrews.

This experiment was completed by using KFDV-infected mice and discovered that KFDV caused gliosis, inflammation, and cell death in the brain.

The two methods involving RT-PCR are able to function by attaching a primer to the NS-5 gene, which is highly conserved among the genus to which KFDV belongs.

The ELISA based methods allows for the detections of anti-KFDV antibodies in patients typically from 5th day of onset of symptoms up to 3 months.

[18] The similarity with Russian spring-summer encephalitis was noted by the British neurovirologist Hubert Webb and the possibility of migratory birds carrying the disease was raised.

Subsequent studies failed to find any involvement of migratory birds, although the possibility of their role in initial establishment was not ruled out.

[20] Early studies in India were conducted in collaboration with the US Army Medical Research Unit and this led to controversy and conspiracy theories.

This study also found using immune response tests that birds and humans in the region appeared to have been exposed to the virus.

[27][28] The disease initially reported from Shimoga district of Karnataka which is a primitive sylvan territory in Western Ghats of India.

[30] A seroprevalence study in Andaman and Nicobar islands in 2002 revealed a high prevalence of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies against KFDV.

[32] The disease has shown its presence in the adjacent states of Karnataka including Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.