No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Lassa fever is a deadly viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa Virus (LASV). Rodents, especially, Mystomys natalensis , are the known reservoirs of LASV and humans are the defined hosts. Monkeys share many illnesses with humans and experimental LASV infections in monkeys are fatal but natural LASV infection of monkeys has not been reported. Serum samples obtained between August 2015 and December 2017 from 62 monkeys belonging to six species in Southern Nigeria were tested for LASV as part of an ongoing surveillance of monkeys in the region for zoonotic pathogens. Commercially available Recombinant LASV (ReLASV) Pan-Lassa enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits (Zalgen Labs, Germantown, MD, USA) were used to detect antibodies (IgG and IgM) and antigen specific for LASV nucleoprotein in the sera. Lassa-fever-specific IgG and IgM, and antigen specific for LASV nucleoprotein were detected in 5/62, 0/62, and 1/62 samples, respectively. The presence of LASV-specific antibodies in the sera suggests natural exposure to the virus, while the presence of LASV antigen may mean that monkeys are carriers of the virus. There is a need to broaden Lassa fever surveillance to include nonhuman primates (NHPs) for their probable role in the epidemiology of the disease. HIGHLIGHTS Rodents are the natural reservoirs of Lassa fever virus (LASV) and humans are the defined hosts. Experimental LASV infections in non-human primates (NHP) are fatal but natural infection of NHP with the virus have not been reported. We detected antigen and antibody specific for LASV in free-living Monkeys from southern Nigeria which implies that monkeys in the region are naturally exposed to LASV and are probable carriers of the virus.

Monkeys are potential sources of infectious diseases to humans. Mona monkeys frequently gain access to human dwellings within the University of Lagos campus. This study was conducted to assess the level of human-monkey interaction with a view to determining if such interaction will create an avenue for zoonotic disease transmission from monkeys to humans resident in this human-wildlife interface. Information on frequency and closeness of human -monkey interaction was gathered from 395 respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire and indepth interviews. These were used to determine respondents' attitude towards the monkeys as well as their knowledge on monkey related zoonoses. Responses from the questionnaire were entered into and analysed using EPI INFO TM version 7.2.0.1 statistical software. Categorical data were summarised as tables and bar chart. Chi Square, Fisher exact tests and binary logistic regression were used to test for significance and deduce relationships among variables. Statistical significance was determined at 95% Confidence interval. Most of the respondents (63.5%) were undergraduates; while 70.1% of all respondents were residents on campus. Only 19.8% and 6.6% of the respondents had close and risky contacts respectively, while 11.1% and 8.3% had negligible and minimal contacts respectively. Majority of the respondents (69.1%) had inadequate knowledge about monkey related zoonoses Only 39% were aware that monkeys could transmit disease to humans and 2% believed that monkeys could not transmit diseases to humans. Campus residents have significantly closer contacts with monkeys than visitors (p<0.05, OR=0.32). Residents were three times more likely to have had any form of contact with monkeys than non-residents. There was no significant difference between the frequency of risky human-monkey contacts among visitors and residents. The low level of awareness about zoonotic disease among the respondents could be ameliorated through public health awareness campaigns by health workers and conservationists.

IntroductionBuruli ulcer (BU) is a highly ranked neglected tropical disease (NTD) of global health importance with increasing incidence in sub-Saharan Africa yet there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of BU in Nigeria. Incidentally, highly BU endemic Benin Republic shares proximity with Nigeria. This study was carried out to establish presence of BU and ascertain the level of BU perception among rural populace in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.MethodsSecondary data (2009-2012) on incidence of BU was collected from a reference hospital. A cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaire administered to rural people and healthcare practitioners was conducted in three purposively chosen Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ogun State based on unpublished reports of BU presence.ResultsData collected revealed 27 hospital confirmed BU cases between 2009-2012 across four LGAs (Obafemi Owode, Abeokuta North, Yewa North and Yewa South) while 14%(21/150) chronic ulcers (suspected to be BU) were discovered during the cross-sectional survey carried out in Odeda, Yewa South and North LGAs. Healthcare practitioners 63.6% (42/66) and 54.7% (82/150) rural people demonstrated poor level of BU perception respectively.ConclusionThis study provides evidence that BU exists in Ogun State and evaluates the poor perception that the affected rural populace has on the disease. This pilot study presents baseline information on BU in a rural setting in Ogun State South-west Nigeria hence the vital need for prompt public health involvement and further research on the epidemiology of BU.

Ebola viruses (family: Filoviridae) are the cause of Ebola virus disease (EVD), a highly fatal illness characterised by haemorrhagic fever syndrome in both humans and non-human primates (NHPs). West Africa was the epicentre of the 2013-2015 EVD epidemic which caused the death of over 11,000 people, including eight casualties in southern Nigeria. Antibodies to filoviruses have been detected among NHPs in some countries, but there is no documented evidence of exposures to filoviruses among NHPs in Nigeria. From August 2015 to February 2017, a total of 142 serum samples were obtained from individual captive and wild animals, belonging to 11 NHP species, in southern Nigeria, and screened for species-specific antibodies to filoviruses belonging to the species; Zaire ebolavirus [Ebola virus (EBOV)], Sudan ebolavirus [Sudan virus (SUDV)], and Marburg marburgvirus [Ravn virus (RAVV)]-using a modified filovirus species-specific ELISA technique. Of the sera tested, 2.1% (3/142) were positive for antibodies to EBOV. The entire 142 sera were negative for SUDV or RAVV. These findings point to the existence of natural exposures of NHPs in southern Nigeria to EBOV. There is need to discourage, the uncontrolled hunting of NHPs in Nigeria for public health safety.

Abstract. Babalola OJ, Jegede HO, Ogundro BN. 2020. Perceptions, attitudes, and outcomes of human-snake encounters: A retrospective study of an online discussion community in Nigeria. Asian J Ethnobiol 21: 1-9. The internet is a useful tool for obtaining data needed to study factors that hinder snake conservation especially in resource-limited settings. There is a paucity of peer-reviewed research on the use of online communities in the study of factors contributing to undesirable human-snake conflicts in Nigeria. A 12-month dataset (August 2016-July 2017) on human-snake encounters shared on Nairaland®- a popular online community forum in Nigeria - was retrieved and analyzed. Morphological characteristics observed in the snake photographs posted on the platform were used for species identification. A total of 203 human-snake encounters were recorded from 32/37 States of Nigeria. Men (n=133) reported more human-snake encounters than women (n =11) while “reporters of unspecified gender (n =59) accounted for the rest. Most postings were from the southern part of Nigeria with the highest number of postings from Lagos State (n =34). Of the 24 snake species reported in the study, the African Rock Python was the most encountered. The months of May to July recorded the highest number of snake species reported by the respondents. ‘Fear’ and ‘food’ were the major perceptions elicited by people during snake encounters. The outcome of human-snake conflicts resulted in snake deaths (n =182) irrespective of snake venomosity. Only 1.0% (n=2) of the snakes were protected from harm. This study revealed that data from online community forums are useful for retrospective studies of the perceptions and outcomes of human-snake encounters; the output of which policymakers and conservationists may find useful.