Dataset Information

Detection of Lassa virus in wild rodent feces: Implications for Lassa fever burden within households in the endemic region of Faranah, Guinea.

ABSTRACT: Lassa arenavirus (LASV) is the cause of Lassa Fever in humans in West Africa. The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is a reservoir host of LASV and the primary source of human infections. Humans are assumed to become infected due to contact with this animal or its excretions. Thus far, the available literature does not describe the sampling of feces as a means to detect LASV in M. natalensis populations. More evidence is needed to know if feces of naturally infected M. natalensis can be LASV-positive and an exposure risk to humans. This study sampled feces deposits in households from three villages in the LASV-endemic region of Faranah, Guinea. PCR analysis found 10 out of 88 samples to be positive for LASV, and sequencing showed clustering to previously identified Yarawelia and Dalafilani strains. We conclude that feces sampling is a viable, non-invasive method for the determination and sequencing of LASV strains.

SUBMITTER: Wood R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8424210 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Detection of Lassa virus in wild rodent feces: Implications for Lassa fever burden within households in the endemic region of Faranah, Guinea.

Wood Rebekah R Bangura Umaru U Mariën Joachim J Douno Moussa M Fichet-Calvet Elisabeth E

One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 20210827

Lassa arenavirus (LASV) is the cause of Lassa Fever in humans in West Africa. The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is a reservoir host of LASV and the primary source of human infections. Humans are assumed to become infected due to contact with this animal or its excretions. Thus far, the available literature does not describe the sampling of feces as a means to detect LASV in M. natalensis populations. More evidence is needed to know if feces of naturally infected M. na ...[more]

PMID: 34522759

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Project description:Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by an arenavirus. The disease is endemic in West African countries, including Guinea. The rodents Mastomys natalensis and Mastomys erythroleucus have been identified as Lassa virus reservoirs in Guinea. In the absence of a vaccine, rodent control and human behavioural changes are the only options to prevent Lassa fever in highly endemic areas. We performed a 4 year intervention based on chemical rodent control, utilizing anticoagulant rodenticides in 3 villages and evaluating the rodent abundance before and after treatment. Three additional villages were investigated as controls. Analyses to assess the effectiveness of the intervention, bait consumption and rodent dynamics were performed. Anthropological investigations accompanied the intervention to integrate local understandings of human-rodent cohabitation and rodent control intervention. Patterns of bait consumption showed a peak at days 5-7 and no consumption at days 28-30. There was no difference between Bromadiolone and Difenacoum bait consumption. The main rodent species found in the houses was M. natalensis. The abundance of M. natalensis, as measured by the trapping success, varied between 3.6 and 16.7% before treatment and decreased significantly to 1-2% after treatment. Individuals in treated villages welcomed the intervention and trapping because mice are generally regarded as a nuisance. Immediate benefits from controlling rodents included protection of food and belongings. Before the intervention, local awareness of Lassa fever was non-existent. Despite their appreciation for the intervention, local individuals noted its limits and the need for complementary actions. Our results demonstrate that chemical treatment provides an effective tool to control local rodent populations and can serve as part of an effective, holistic approach combining rodent trapping, use of local rodenticides, environmental hygiene, house repairs and rodent-proof storage. These actions should be developed in collaboration with local stakeholders and communities.

Project description:Lassa fever (LF) is a potentially lethal viral haemorrhagic infection of humans caused by Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV). It is an important endemic zoonotic disease in West Africa with growing evidence for increasing frequency and sizes of outbreaks. Phylogeographic and molecular epidemiology methods have projected expansion of the Lassa fever endemic zone in the context of future global change. The Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is the predominant LASV reservoir, with few studies investigating the role of other animal species. To explore host sequencing biases, all LASV nucleotide sequences and associated metadata available on GenBank (n = 2,298) were retrieved. Most data originated from Nigeria (54%), Guinea (20%) and Sierra Leone (14%). Data from non-human hosts (n = 703) were limited and only 69 sequences encompassed complete genes. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of confirmed human cases and sequences at the country level (r = 0.93 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.71-0.98), p < 0.001) but no correlation exists between confirmed cases and the number of available rodent sequences (r = -0.019 (95% C.I. -0.71-0.69), p = 0.96). Spatial modelling of sequencing effort highlighted current biases in locations of available sequences, with increased sequencing effort observed in Southern Guinea and Southern Nigeria. Phylogenetic analyses showed geographic clustering of LASV lineages, suggestive of isolated events of human-to-rodent transmission and the emergence of currently circulating strains of LASV from the year 1498 in Nigeria. Overall, the current study highlights significant geographic limitations in LASV surveillance, particularly, in non-human hosts. Further investigation of the non-human reservoir of LASV, alongside expanded surveillance, are required for precise characterisation of the emergence and dispersal of LASV. Accurate surveillance of LASV circulation in non-human hosts is vital to guide early detection and initiation of public health interventions for future Lassa fever outbreaks.

Dataset Information

Detection of Lassa virus in wild rodent feces: Implications for Lassa fever burden within households in the endemic region of Faranah, Guinea.

Publications

Detection of Lassa virus in wild rodent feces: Implications for Lassa fever burden within households in the endemic region of Faranah, Guinea.

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