During September–October 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of Rift Valley fever was reported in the northern Sahelian region of Mauritania after exceptionally heavy rainfall. Camels probably played a central role in the local amplification of the virus. We describe the main clinical signs (hemorrhagic fever, icterus, and nervous symptoms) observed during the outbreak.

Sandfly fever viruses (SFVs) cause febrile diseases as well as aseptic meningitis/encephalitis and include serotypes sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV) and Toscana virus (TOSV). Infections are endemic in the Mediterranean basin and data on SFV activity in Turkey are limited. In this study, sera from 1533 blood donors from the Ankara, Konya, Eskisehir and Zonguldak provinces of Turkey were evaluated for SFV exposure by indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) and confirmed by virus neutralization test (VNT). One hundred and two patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections of unknown aetiology were also tested via IIFT and real-time reverse-transcription PCR for SFV/TOSV. Rate of overall IgG reactivity in IIFT was 32.9% (505/1533) among blood donors. TOSV exposure was confirmed by VNT in all study regions. Exposure to the recently-identified serotype sandfly fever Turkish virus, as evaluated by VNT, was revealed in Konya and Ankara. SFNV exposure was identified in Konya and SFSV was observed to be present in all regions except Zonguldak. TOSV RNA was detected in 15.7% (16/102) and was accompanied by TOSV IgM in 25% (4/16) of the patients. Partial L and S sequences suggested that TOSV circulating in Turkey can be grouped into TOSV genotype A strains. Exposure to TOSV and other SFV serotypes was revealed in blood donors and CNS infections by TOSV were identified for the first time in Turkey. Infections are observed to be endemic in central Anatolia and should be considered as aetiologic agents in cases/outbreaks of fever and meningoencephalitis.

No abstract

Since first being detected in Nigeria in January 2007, African horse sickness virus serotype 2 (AHSV-2) has spread throughout the northern hemisphere, and was first reported in Senegal. A retrospective study was conducted from December 2009 to April 2010 using data collected in the field combined with information available at the Direction of Veterinary Services. The epidemic started in the Dakar region with two outbreaks in March and June 2007, respectively, and spread in several parts of the country between July and November 2007. During this period, 232 outbreaks and 1137 horse deaths were reported. The epidemic was controlled by mass vaccination using a polyvalent-attenuated vaccine. This retrospective study was conducted with various assumptions of AHSV-2 introduction, and provides recommendations for implementing an early warning surveillance system for African horse sickness in Senegal.

Introduction: Sandfly fever virus (SFV) serotypes sandfly fever Naples virus, sandfly fever Sicilian virus, and sandfly fever Cyprus virus cause febrile diseases, whereas Toscana virus (TOSV) is responsible for aseptic meningoencephalitis. Diagnosis and surveillance of TOSV depend heavily on virus serology, and various commercial assays utilizing various antigen sources and formats have been available. The aim of this study was to perform comparative evaluation of commercially available serological assays for anti-TOSV immunoglobulins. Materials and Methods: A collection of 120 sera from healthy blood donors from an endemic region, previously identified to be reactive for antibodies against various SFV serotypes by indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT), was reevaluated for IgG/IgM via IIFT, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and an immunoblot assay manufactured by Euroimmun, Diesse, and Mikrogen, respectively. Virus neutralization test (VNT) was performed for 99 sera using standard TOSV, sandfly fever Sicilian virus, and sandfly fever Naples virus strains. Results: A total of 89 samples (74.2%) were reactive for TOSV IgG in at least one of the commercial assays, and 31 samples (31.3%) were reactive in VNT for various SFV serotypes. Average percentage agreements among commercial assays and between VNT and the commercial assays were noted as 57.8% and 62.6%, respectively. No significant correlation between assay results and VNT titers was observed. SFV IgM antibodies were detected in a total of eight samples (6.7%) via IIFT, which were nonreactive in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and VNT. Discussion: Commercial diagnostic immunoassays displayed slight to fair agreement for TOSV IgG as assessed via kappa and percentage agreement values. The results could only be confirmed via virus neutralization in a portion of the samples, and overall agreement between the commercial assays and VNT was slight. Commercial assays such as immunoblot can be used in addition to VNT for confirmation of TOSV exposure.

Understanding human and animal mobility patterns is a key to predict local and global disease spread. We analysed the nomad herds' movement network in a pilot area of northern Senegal and used exponential random graph models (ERGM) to investigate the reasons behind these movements. We interviewed 132 nomadic herders to collect information about nomad herd structures, movements, and reasons for taking specific routes or gathering in certain areas. We constructed a spatially explicit network with villages as the nodes and nomad herds' movements as the connecting edges. The final ERGM showed that node and edge attributes such as presence of cattle in the herd (odds ratio = 12, CI: 5.3, 27.3), morbidity (odds ratio = 3.6, CI: 2.3, 5.7), and lack of water (odds ratio = 2, CI: 1.3, 3.1) were important predictors of nomad herds' movements. This study not only provides valuable information for monitoring important livestock diseases such as Rift Valley Fever in Senegal, but also helps implement outreach, education, and intervention programs for other emerging and endemic diseases affecting nomadic herds. K E Y W O R D S ERGM, livestock, network analysis, nomadic, risk-based surveillance, Senegal | 1643 BELKHIRIA Et AL.due to ruminant mortality, culling, prevention and control measures, and heavy trade restrictions (Sow et al., 2016). Nomadic popula-Institute grant. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and don't necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. We thank Benoit Durand (ANSES Maisons-Alfort, FRANCE) who collaborated in designing the sampling protocol as well as all nomadic herders who actively participated in this study.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting predominantly small ruminants. Due to its transboundary nature, regional coordination of control strategies will be key to the success of the on-going PPR eradication campaign. Here, we aimed at exploring the extent of transboundary movement of PPR in West Africa using phylogenetic analyses based on partial viral gene sequences. We collected samples and obtained partial nucleoprotein gene sequence from PPR-infected small ruminants across countries within West Africa. This new sequence data was combined with publically available data from the region to perform phylogenetic analyses. A total of fifty-five sequences were obtained in a region still poorly sampled. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the majority of virus sequences obtained in this study were placed within genetic clusters regrouping samples from multiple West African countries. Some of these clusters contained samples from countries sharing borders. In other cases, clusters grouped samples from very distant countries. Our results suggest extensive and recurrent transboundary movements of PPR within West Africa, supporting the need for a regional coordinated strategy for PPR surveillance and control in the region. Simple phylogenetic analyses based on readily available data can provide information on PPR transboundary dynamics and, therefore, could contribute to improve control strategies. On-going and future projects dedicated to PPR should include extensive genetic characterization and phylogenetic analyses of circulating viral strains in their effort to support the campaign for global eradication of the disease.

Since November 2018, several countries in West and Central Africa have reported mortalities in donkeys and horses. Specifically, more than 66,000 horses and donkeys have succumbed to disease in