Word: arthropod
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...fever, convulsions and, in some cases, death−can be caused by any of a large variety of viruses or bacteria or can follow a wide range of other illnesses. But the bugs responsible for the current outbreak of encephalitis are unique. They are "arboviruses," a contraction for arthropod-borne viruses. The arthropod that carries the virus is, in this case, an insect with jointed feet−the common mosquito−that has been particularly numerous and active in large areas of the U.S. this year. Mosquitoes pick up the arboviruses when they bite birds, which usually carry the viruses...
...telescoped designation for arthropod-borne viruses-those transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects...