A species of flavivirus, one of the Japanese encephalitis virus group (encephalitis viruses, japanese). It can infect birds and mammals. In humans, it is seen most frequently in africa, asia, and europe presenting as a silent infection or undifferentiated fever (west nile fever). The virus appeared in north america for the first time in 1999. It is transmitted mainly by culex spp mosquitoes which feed primarily on birds, but it can also be carried by the Asian Tiger mosquito, aedes albopictus, which feeds mainly on mammals.