Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone
Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus LASV, which was first isolated in the rodent <i>Mastomys natalensis</i> in 1974 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. As little is known about the abundance and the presence of LASV in rodents living in the Bo area, we carried out a s...
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| author | Umaru Bangura Jacob Buanie Joyce Lamin Christopher Davis Gédéon Ngiala Bongo Michael Dawson Rashid Ansumana Dianah Sondufu Emma C. Thomson Foday Sahr Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet |
| author_facet | Umaru Bangura Jacob Buanie Joyce Lamin Christopher Davis Gédéon Ngiala Bongo Michael Dawson Rashid Ansumana Dianah Sondufu Emma C. Thomson Foday Sahr Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet |
| author_sort | Umaru Bangura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus LASV, which was first isolated in the rodent <i>Mastomys natalensis</i> in 1974 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. As little is known about the abundance and the presence of LASV in rodents living in the Bo area, we carried out a small mammal longitudinal population survey. A standardized trapping session was performed in various habitats and seasons in six villages over two years (2014–2016) and samples collected were tested for arenavirus IgG and LASV. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed on sequences identified by PCR. A total of 1490 small mammals were collected, and 16 rodent species were identified, with <i>M. natalensis</i> (355, 24%) found to be the most prevalent species. Forty-one (2.8%) samples were IgG positive, and 31 of these were trapped in homes and 10 in surrounding vegetation. Twenty-nine of 41 seropositive rodents were <i>M. natalensis.</i> We detected four LASV by PCR in two villages, all found in <i>M. natalensis</i>. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the sequences were distributed within the Sierra Leonean clade within lineage IV, distinguishing a Bo sub-clade older than a Kenema sub-clade. Compared to other settings, we found a low abundance of <i>M. natalensis</i> and a low circulation of LASV in rodents in villages around Bo district. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:28:56Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
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| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-4d895fc4e3274b0fbb0cdea91a57c0212023-11-21T08:14:38ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372021-01-011012810.3390/biology10010028Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra LeoneUmaru Bangura0Jacob Buanie1Joyce Lamin2Christopher Davis3Gédéon Ngiala Bongo4Michael Dawson5Rashid Ansumana6Dianah Sondufu7Emma C. Thomson8Foday Sahr9Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet10Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneMercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneMercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneCentre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKDepartment of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyMercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneMercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneMercy Hospital Research Laboratory, Bo, Sierra LeoneCentre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKCollege of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown PMB 595, Sierra LeoneDepartment of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyLassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus LASV, which was first isolated in the rodent <i>Mastomys natalensis</i> in 1974 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. As little is known about the abundance and the presence of LASV in rodents living in the Bo area, we carried out a small mammal longitudinal population survey. A standardized trapping session was performed in various habitats and seasons in six villages over two years (2014–2016) and samples collected were tested for arenavirus IgG and LASV. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed on sequences identified by PCR. A total of 1490 small mammals were collected, and 16 rodent species were identified, with <i>M. natalensis</i> (355, 24%) found to be the most prevalent species. Forty-one (2.8%) samples were IgG positive, and 31 of these were trapped in homes and 10 in surrounding vegetation. Twenty-nine of 41 seropositive rodents were <i>M. natalensis.</i> We detected four LASV by PCR in two villages, all found in <i>M. natalensis</i>. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the sequences were distributed within the Sierra Leonean clade within lineage IV, distinguishing a Bo sub-clade older than a Kenema sub-clade. Compared to other settings, we found a low abundance of <i>M. natalensis</i> and a low circulation of LASV in rodents in villages around Bo district.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/1/28Lassa virusseroprevalence<i>Mastomys natalensis</i>abundancephylogeneticsBo |
| spellingShingle | Umaru Bangura Jacob Buanie Joyce Lamin Christopher Davis Gédéon Ngiala Bongo Michael Dawson Rashid Ansumana Dianah Sondufu Emma C. Thomson Foday Sahr Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone Biology Lassa virus seroprevalence <i>Mastomys natalensis</i> abundance phylogenetics Bo |
| title | Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone |
| title_full | Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone |
| title_fullStr | Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone |
| title_short | Lassa Virus Circulation in Small Mammal Populations in Bo District, Sierra Leone |
| title_sort | lassa virus circulation in small mammal populations in bo district sierra leone |
| topic | Lassa virus seroprevalence <i>Mastomys natalensis</i> abundance phylogenetics Bo |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/1/28 |
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