In 2018, a previously unknown Ebola virus, Bombali virus, was discovered in Sierra Leone. We describe detection of Bombali virus in Guinea. We found viral RNA in internal organs of 3 Angolan free-tailed bats ( Mops condylurus ) trapped in the city of N’Zerekore and in a nearby village.

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In this study, we report the isolation of influenza A(H5N8) virus from a Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope) in Sakha Republic of the Russian Far East. The strain A/wigeon/Sakha/1/2014 (H5N8) has been shown to be pathogenic for mammals. It is similar to the strains that caused outbreaks in wild birds and poultry in Southeast Asia and Europe in 2014.

In the spring of 2016, a loss of wild birds was observed during the monitoring of avian influenza virus activity in the Republic of Tyva. That outbreak was caused by influenza H5N8 virus of clade 2.3.4.4. In the fall, viruses of H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 were propagated in European countries. This paper presents some results of analysis of the virus strains isolated during the spring and fall seasons in 2016 in the Russian Federation. The investigated strains were highly pathogenic for mice, and some of their antigenic and genetic features differed from those of an H5N8 strain that circulated in 2014 in Russia.

Lassa virus is the causative agent of a dangerous zoonotic disease distributed in West Africa. A primary reservoir host of Lassa virus is Mastomys natalensis. These mice associate closely with humans and are commonly found in villages. Consequently, previous studies of Lassa virus have focused on rural areas. The prevalence of the virus in large cities has not been studied.We conducted a study in N'Zerekore city, which has a population of approximately 300,000 residents. Small mammals were captured during a pilot study in May, and the main study was performed in August 2018. Based on the pilot study, we designed and implemented a stratified random sample to investigate the prevalence of Lassa virus among M. natalensis in N'Zerekore. The total sampling efforts consisted of 45 and 985 trapping nights in May and August, respectively. Samples of rodent tissues were screened for Lassa virus by RT-PCR.In May, we trapped 20 rodents, including 19 M. natalensis. Viral RNA was detected in 18 M. natalensis. In August, 149 small mammals were captured, including 43 M. natalensis. The prevalence of Lassa virus among M. natalensis in N'Zerekore was 23.3% (CI 95%: 11.8-38.6%). Sequencing showed that the isolates belonged to lineage IV. We detected four Lassa virus hotspots located in different parts of the city. The largest Lassa virus hotspot was found in the neighborhood of the central market, which suggests that the virus was originally introduced into the city through the market.