Virus
Yellow fever virus
Aedes flavivirus, jaundice, Councilman bodies
YEL-oh FEE-ver VY-rus
High-yield clue
Aedes flavivirus classically remembered for jaundice and Councilman bodies (apoptotic hepatocytes) in the liver.
Overview
A positive-sense single-stranded RNA flavivirus spread by Aedes mosquitoes in the urban cycle (Haemagogus and Sabethes carry the South American sylvatic cycle), studied as the prototype hemorrhagic arbovirus with a classic live-attenuated (17D) vaccine.
Classification
- Flaviviridae
- Genus Orthoflavivirus
- Positive-sense ssRNA
- Enveloped
- Arbovirus
Lab & identification clues
- Councilman body (hepatocyte apoptosis) vocabulary
- Hepatic and hemorrhagic injury framing
- Live-attenuated 17D vaccine association
Associations
- Aedes aegypti vector
- Sylvatic (jungle) cycle with primate reservoir
- Jaundice, hemorrhage, and 'black vomit' vocabulary
- Tropical Africa and South America epidemiology
Commonly confused with
- Dengue virus
- Hepatitis viruses
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.