Serological evidence of Ebola virus exposure in dogs from affected communities in Liberia: A preliminary report

Autor: Vivek R. Nerurkar, John M. Berestecky, Melissa Takaaze, Mosoka Fallah, Madhuri Namekar, Peter Humphreys, Abigail S. Dweh, Ayesha E. R. Bell-Gam Woto, Saymajunkon S. E. Forkay, Ophelia I. Weeks, Axel T. Lehrer, Varney Kamara, Kianalei Garalde-Machida, Teri Ann S. Wong, Brien K. Haun
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
0301 basic medicine
RNA viruses
Male
Epidemiology
RC955-962
Pilot Projects
medicine.disease_cause
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Antibodies
Viral
Geographical Locations
0302 clinical medicine
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Medicine
Mammals
Immunoassay
Transmission (medicine)
Pets and Companion Animals
Eukaryota
Ebolavirus
Microspheres
3. Good health
Hemorrhagic Fevers
Infectious Diseases
Medical Microbiology
Filoviruses
Viral Pathogens
Vertebrates
Viruses
Female
Public aspects of medicine
RA1-1270
Pathogens
Ebola Virus
Research Article
Animal Types
030231 tropical medicine
Microbiology
Virus
Sierra leone
03 medical and health sciences
Dogs
Seroprevalence
Animals
Domestic Animals
Microbial Pathogens
Ebola virus
business.industry
Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Organisms
Outbreak
Biology and Life Sciences
Liberia
Virology
030104 developmental biology
Lassa virus
Amniotes
People and Places
Africa
Sentinel Species
business
Zoology
Zdroj: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 13, Iss 7, p e0007614 (2019)
ISSN: 1935-2735
1935-2727
Popis: Filoviruses such as Ebola virus (EBOV) cause outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers for which no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs are available. The 2014–2016 EBOV outbreak in West Africa infected approximately 30,000 people, killing more than 11,000 and affecting thousands more in areas still suffering from the effects of civil wars. Sierra Leone and Liberia reported EBOV cases in every county demonstrating the efficient spread of this highly contagious virus in the well-connected societies of West Africa. In communities, canines are often in contact with people while scavenging for food, which may include sickly bush animals or, as reported from the outbreak, EBOV infected human bodies and excrement. Therefore, dogs may serve as sentinel animals for seroprevalence studies of emerging infectious viruses. Further, due to their proximity to humans, they may have important One Health implications while offering specimens, which may be easier to obtain than human serum samples. Previous reports on detecting EBOV exposure in canines have been limited. Herein we describe a pilot project to detect IgG-responses directed against multiple filovirus and Lassa virus (LASV) antigens in dogs from EBOV affected communities in Liberia. We used a multiplex Luminex-based microsphere immunoassay (MIA) to detect dog IgG binding to recombinant filovirus antigens or LASV glycoprotein (GP) in serum from dogs that were old enough to be present during the EBOV outbreak. We identified 47 (73%) of 64 dog serum samples as potentially exposed to filoviruses and up to 100% of the dogs from some communities were found to have elevated levels of EBOV antigen-binding IgG titers. The multiplex MIA described in this study provides evidence for EBOV IgG antibodies present in dogs potentially exposed to the virus during the 2014–16 outbreak in Liberia. These data support the feasibility of canines as EBOV sentinels and provides evidence that seroprevalence studies in dogs can be conducted using suitable assays even under challenging field conditions. Further studies are warranted to collect data and to define the role canines may play in transmission or detection of emerging infectious diseases.
Author summary Ebola Virus (EBOV) and its related species cause hemorrhagic fevers for which there are no FDA- approved treatments. The 2014–2016 EBOV outbreak in West Africa infected over 30,000 people, killing more than 11,000. This was the largest outbreak to date and Liberia was the unfortunate epicenter. In Liberia, EBOV cases were reported in every county. While preventative and therapeutic agent developments have received much attention, prophylactic measures involving Liberian communities have seen much less attention. In Liberia, dogs may warrant surveillance as they routinely interact with animals of the forest and people within communities. Despite scavenging the excrements and even bodies of infected individuals during the outbreak, dogs reportedly remained asymptomatic for EBOV. In collaboration with the University of Liberia and the Leon Quist Ledlum Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of Liberia, our team used a multiplex Luminex-based assay to detect dog antibodies (IgG) binding recombinant filovirus antigens or LASV glycoprotein in samples from animals that were present during the EBOV outbreak. We identified several communities in which 100% of dogs showed IgG responses reactive to one or more filovirus antigens. This preliminary report establishes the feasibility of conducting EBOV seroprevalence studies in resource poor outbreak sites in Africa using modern and economical serological assay techniques.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje