Molecular Detection and Genetic Characterization of Novel RNA Viruses in Wild and Synanthropic Rodents and Shrews in Kenya.

ABSTRACT: The majority of emerging and reemerging zoonotic viral pathogens are RNA viruses. Pathogen discovery programs of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in wildlife have implicated rodents and shrews as hosts of diverse human pathogens, such as hantaviruses, arenaviruses, paramyxoviruses, etc. Despite these threats, little is known about the diversity of viruses circulating among rodents and shrews in Kenya, meaning the risk of infectious disease outbreak from these small mammals could be oblivious. This study reports the first surveillance toward understanding the diversity of RNA viruses carried by rodents and shrews in areas of high-potential contact with humans in Kenya through molecular detection. A total of 617 samples comprising fecal, urine, and tissues from 138 rodents and 5 shrews we

SUBMITTER: Onyuok SO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6881279 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature