A Prospective Study of the Epidemiology and Ecology of Lassa Fever

McCormick, Joseph B.; Webb, P. A.; Krebs, John W.; Johnson, Karl M.; Smith, Ethleen S.

doi:10.1093/infdis/155.3.437

Cited by 523 publications

(519 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Five of the viruses (i.e., Lassa, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, and Sabia) can cause severe viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) in humans [20]. Lassa fever is endemic in certain regions of West Africa [38]. Currently, there are limited effective vaccines and treatment options for VHFs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome comparison of virulent and avirulent strains of the Pichinde arenavirus

et al. 2008

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A virulent (P18) strain of the Pichinde arenavirus produces a disease in guinea pigs that somewhat mimics human Lassa fever, whereas an avirulent (P2) strain of this virus is attenuated in infected animals. It has been speculated that the composition of viral genomes may confer the degree of virulence in an infected host; the complete sequence of the viral genomes, however, is not known. Here, we provide for the first time genomic sequences of both S and L segments for both the P2 and P18 strains. Sequence comparisons identify three mutations in the GP1 subunit of the viral glycoprotein, one in the nucleoprotein NP, and five in the viral RNA polymerase L protein. These mutations, alone or in combination, may contribute to the acquired virulence of Pichinde infection in animals. The 3 amino acid changes in the variable region of the GP1 glycoprotein subunit may affect viral entry by altering its receptor-binding activity. While NP has previously been shown to modulate the host immune responses to viral infection, we found that the R374K change in this protein does not affect the NP function in suppressing interferon-β expression. Four out of the five amino acid changes in the L protein occur in a small region of the protein that may contribute to viral virulence by enhancing its function on viral genomic RNA synthesis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome comparison of virulent and avirulent strains of the Pichinde arenavirus

et al. 2008

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“…1,2 Lassa, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, and Sabiá viruses are etiologic agents of hemorrhagic fever in western Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Brazil, respectively. 3,4 Humans usually become infected with arenaviruses by contact with infected rodents or infectious rodent excreta or secreta. Thus, knowledge of the natural rodent host relationships and duration of virus shedding in infected rodents is essential to an accurate understanding of the epidemiology of an arenavirus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental infection of Neotoma albigula (Muridae) with Whitewater Arroyo virus (Arenaviridae).

Fulhorst

Milazzo²,

Bradley³

et al. 2001

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. The Whitewater Arroyo virus (WWA) is a newly described North American arenavirus. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the biology of this virus in its natural rodent host, Neotoma albigula (white-throated woodrat). Thirteen adult, 7 juvenile, and 8 newborn woodrats each were inoculated subcutaneously with 1,000 cell culture infectious dose 50 of the WWA virus prototype strain AV 9310135. All 28 animals became infected (as measured by the recovery of infectious virus and/or seroconversion) and no overt illness was associated with infection. Infection and virus shedding in the adult animals were transient (less than 59 days) whereas virus shedding in animals inoculated at birth persisted through 164 days of age. These results indicate that the duration of WWA virus infection in N. albigula is dependent upon the animal's age at the onset of infection and that neonatal infection can result in chronic (perhaps lifelong) virus shedding.

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“…Recent data indicated an easy transfer of both probe chemistries from one platform to another through similar assay performance, sensitivity, and specificity on three of these instruments. 20 In a pilot evaluation of the TaqMan™-MGB assay designed to detect Lassa Josiah genomic RNA, 39 blood samples from patients infected with Lassa virus in Sierra Leone 21,22 were tested as part of the Lassa surveillance and treatment program based at Kenema Government Hospital. 23,24 Five of these samples were serially collected from one patient (#G-104) on days 1, 2, 3, 8, and 15 after admission to the Lassa Fever Ward.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Panel of Real-Time TaqMan™ Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for Detection and Absolute Quantification of Filoviruses, Arenaviruses, and New World Hantaviruses

Trombley¹,

Wachter²,

Garrison³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

198

217

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Viral hemorrhagic fever is caused by a diverse group of single-stranded, negative-sense or positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the families Filoviridae (Ebola and Marburg), Arenaviridae (Lassa, Junin, Machupo, Sabia, and Guanarito), and Bunyaviridae (hantavirus). Disease characteristics in these families mark each with the potential to be used as a biological threat agent. Because other diseases have similar clinical symptoms, specific laboratory diagnostic tests are necessary to provide the differential diagnosis during outbreaks and for instituting acceptable quarantine procedures. We designed 48 TaqMan™-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for specific and absolute quantitative detection of multiple hemorrhagic fever viruses. Forty-six assays were determined to be virus-specific, and two were designated as pan assays for Marburg virus. The limit of detection for the assays ranged from 10 to 0.001 plaque-forming units (PFU)/PCR. Although these real-time hemorrhagic fever virus assays are qualitative (presence of target), they are also quantitative (measure a single DNA/RNA target sequence in an unknown sample and express the final results as an absolute value (e.g., viral load, PFUs, or copies/mL) on the basis of concentration of standard samples and can be used in viral load, vaccine, and antiviral drug studies.

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A Prospective Study of the Epidemiology and Ecology of Lassa Fever

Cited by 523 publications

References 10 publications

Genome comparison of virulent and avirulent strains of the Pichinde arenavirus

Genome comparison of virulent and avirulent strains of the Pichinde arenavirus

Experimental infection of Neotoma albigula (Muridae) with Whitewater Arroyo virus (Arenaviridae).

Comprehensive Panel of Real-Time TaqMan™ Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for Detection and Absolute Quantification of Filoviruses, Arenaviruses, and New World Hantaviruses

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