Expanding Understanding of Urban Rift Valley Fever Risk and Associated Vector Ecology at Slaughterhouses in Kisumu, Kenya

Autor: Keli Nicole Gerken, Kevin Omondi Owuor, Bryson Ndenga, Sammy Wambua, Christabel Winter, Salome Chemutai, Rodney Omukuti, Daniel Arabu, Irene Miring’u, William C. Wilson, Francis Mutuku, Jesse J. Waggoner, Benjamin Pinsky, Carren Bosire, Angelle Desiree LaBeaud
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Pathogens, Vol 13, Iss 6, p 488 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2076-0817
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13060488
Popis: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an adaptable arbovirus that can be transmitted by a wide variety of arthropods. Widespread urban transmission of RVFV has not yet occurred, but peri-urban outbreaks of RVFV have recently been documented in East Africa. We previously reported low-level exposure in urban communities and highlighted the risk of introduction via live animal influx. We deployed a slaughtered animal testing framework in response to an early warning system at two urban slaughterhouses and tested animals entering the meat value chain for anti-RVFV IgG and IgM antibodies. We simultaneously trapped mosquitoes for RVFV and bloodmeal testing. Out of 923 animals tested, an 8.5% IgG seroprevalence was identified but no evidence of recent livestock exposure was detected. Mosquito species abundance varied greatly by slaughterhouse site, which explained 52% of the variance in blood meals. We captured many Culex spp., a known RVFV amplifying vector, at one of the sites (p < 0.001), and this species had the most diverse blood meals. No mosquito pools tested positive for RVFV antigen using a rapid VecTOR test. These results expand understanding of potential RVF urban disease ecology, and highlight that slaughterhouses are key locations for future surveillance, modelling, and monitoring efforts.
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