Antibodies against medically relevant arthropod-borne viruses in the ubiquitous African rodent Mastomys natalensis.

ABSTRACT: Over the past decades, the number of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) outbreaks has increased worldwide. Knowledge regarding the sylvatic cycle (i.e., non-human hosts/environment) of arboviruses is limited, particularly in Africa, and the main hosts for virus maintenance are unknown. Previous studies have shown the presence of antibodies against certain arboviruses (i.e., chikungunya-, dengue-, and Zika virus) in African non-human primates and bats. We hypothesize that small mammals, specifically rodents, may function as amplifying hosts in anthropogenic environments. The detection of RNA of most arboviruses is complicated by the viruses' short viremic period within their hosts. An alternative to determine arbovirus hosts is by detecting antibodies, which can persist several months. There

SUBMITTER: De Kesel W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11404846 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature