Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most lethal diseases of poultry worldwide. It is caused by an avian paramyxovirus 1 that has high genomic diversity. In the framework of an international surveillance program launched in 2007, several thousand samples from domestic and wild birds in Africa were collected and analyzed. ND viruses (NDV) were detected and isolated in apparently healthy fowls and wild birds. However, two thirds of the isolates collected in this study were classified as virulent strains of NDV based on the molecular analysis of the fusion protein and experimental in vivo challenges with two representative isolates. Phylogenetic analysis based on the F and HN genes showed that isolates recovered from poultry in Mali and Ethiopia form new groups, herein proposed as genotypes XIV and sub-genotype VIf with reference to the new nomenclature described by Diel’s group. In Madagascar, the circulation of NDV strains of genotype XI, originally reported elsewhere, is also confirmed. Full genome sequencing of five African isolates was generated and an extensive phylogeny reconstruction was carried out based on the nucleotide sequences. The evolutionary distances between groups and the specific amino acid signatures of each cluster allowed us to refine the genotype nomenclature.

A high percentage (up to 90%) of dromedary camels in the Middle East as well as eastern and central Africa have antibodies to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Here we report comparably high positivity of MERS-CoV antibodies in dromedary camels from northern Mali. This extends the range of MERS-CoV further west in Africa than reported to date and cautions that MERS-CoV should be considered in cases of severe respiratory disease in the region.

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We genetically characterized 32 canine rabies viruses isolated in Mali during 2006–2013 and identified 3 subgroups that belonged to the Africa 2 lineage. We also detected subgroup F rabies virus. This information should be useful for development of mass vaccination campaigns for dogs and eventual large-scale control programs in this country.

Cette étude présente les résultats d’une enquête sérologique qui évalue le statut épidémiologique de la peste des petits ruminants (PPR) d’ovins et de caprins de différentes régions du Mali. Les animaux ont été testés par Elisa de compétition (c-Elisa) afin d’évaluer la séroprévalence par région prospectée, ainsi que par espèce, classe d’âge et sexe. Les résultats indiquent un taux individuel de séroprévalence de 42,6 p. 100 [intervalle de confiance à 95 p. 100 (IC95) : 40,9 - 44,3]. Une variation significative de la séroprévalence a été observée entre les différentes régions allant de 5,5 p. 100 (IC95 : 3,3 - 7,7) à Gao (la région avec la plus faible prévalence) à 55,6 p. 100 (IC95 : 52,2 - 59,1) à Koulikoro (la région avec la plus forte prévalence). Une différence significative (p < 0,05) a été observée entre les prévalences estimées des femelles et des mâles, et entre celles des animaux adultes (> 3 ans) et des plus jeunes (< 3 ans), mais pas entre ovins et caprins. Ces résultats confirment la présence de la maladie à travers tout le territoire, avec une prévalence relativement élevée dans les régions du centre, du sud et de l’ouest. Ils montrent aussi que la maladie sévit probablement à l’état enzootique, soulignant la faiblesse du programme de vaccination contre la PPR au Mali. Ils révèlent l’urgence de mettre en place un plan de vaccination efficace afin de protéger le cheptel contre cette maladie contagieuse.

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Our survey aimed to investigate avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease (ND) prevalence and risk factors in three areas of Mali at risk for occurrence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza. Blood samples and cloacal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 1470 birds between February 2007 and May 2008 and were tested by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies and real-time reverse-transcription (rRT)-PCR to detect virus. Risk factors associated with seropositivity or positive rRT-PCR were identified by random effect logistic regression. AI seroprevalence was significantly lower in birds from commercial farms (0%) than in village backyard birds (3.1%). For backyard birds, no individual risk factors (species, age, sex) were identified, but birds in the Mopti area in the Sahelian zone, where millions of wild birds migrate, were more seropositive than in the Sikasso area in the Sudano-Guinean zone (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, P = 0.051). Among backyard birds nonvaccinated against ND, ND seroprevalence was 58.4%, and the odds of seropositivity was 2.0 higher in chickens than in ducks, 1.7 higher in females than in males, 3.1 higher in adults than in young birds, and 3.0 higher in poultry from the Sikasso area than from the Mopti area (P < 0.01 in all cases). Prevalence established by rRT-PCR was low for both AI virus (1.1%) and ND virus (2.6%) and was associated with no risk factors for AI but was higher in chickens than in ducks (OR = 5.3, P = 0.05) and in the Sikasso area than in the Mopti area (OR = 3.4, P = 0.027) for ND. For AI and ND, prevalence assessed by serology or rRT-PCR varied over time, although seasonal and interannual variation could not be clearly distinguished. The intracluster correlation coefficient for serologic data was low for AI (0.014) and higher for ND (0.222). These results are useful to optimize surveillance and control strategy for notifiable avian diseases in African countries with similar agroecological and resource-limited contexts.