Epidemiology of Lassa Fever

Bell-Kareem, Antoinette; Smither, Allison R.

doi:10.1007/82_2021_234

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Other Mastomys species do not seem to shed Lassa virus. This rodent breeds frequently, produces large numbers of offspring and is distributed widely throughout western, central and eastern parts of the African continent (61). Mastomys natalensis is a commensal rodent that readily colonises human settlements, thereby increasing the risk of rodent-human contact.…”

Section: Transmission and Hostmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic viral hepatitis: A review on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment

Leeuwen

Jong

Doornekamp³

et al. 2022

Journal of Hepatology

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Section: Transmission and Hostmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic viral hepatitis: A review on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment

Leeuwen

Jong

Doornekamp³

et al. 2022

Journal of Hepatology

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“…The overall disease burden in Nigeria has been steadily increasing since 2017 with recurring seasonal outbreaks [ 3 – 6 ]. In terms of global disease burden, LF is one of the most prevalent hemorrhagic fevers in humans with an estimated 300,000–500,000 infections annually [ 2 , 7 , 8 ]. Transmission is mainly driven through peridomestic rodents and in particular the natal multimammate rat ( Mastomys natalensis ) [ 2 , 7 – 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential pathogenesis of closely related 2018 Nigerian outbreak clade III Lassa virus isolates

et al. 2021

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Nigeria continues to experience ever increasing annual outbreaks of Lassa fever (LF). The World Health Organization has recently declared Lassa virus (LASV) as a priority pathogen for accelerated research leading to a renewed international effort to develop relevant animal models of disease and effective countermeasures to reduce LF morbidity and mortality in endemic West African countries. A limiting factor in evaluating medical countermeasures against LF is a lack of well characterized animal models outside of those based on infection with LASV strain Josiah originating form Sierra Leone, circa 1976. Here we genetically characterize five recent LASV isolates collected from the 2018 outbreak in Nigeria. Three isolates were further evaluated in vivo and despite being closely related and from the same spatial / geographic region of Nigeria, only one of the three isolates proved lethal in strain 13 guinea pigs and non-human primates (NHP). Additionally, this isolate exhibited atypical pathogenesis characteristics in the NHP model, most notably respiratory failure, not commonly described in hemorrhagic cases of LF. These results suggest that there is considerable phenotypic heterogeneity in LASV infections in Nigeria, which leads to a multitude of pathogenesis characteristics that could account for differences between subclinical and lethal LF infections. Most importantly, the development of disease models using currently circulating LASV strains in West Africa are critical for the evaluation of potential vaccines and medical countermeasures.

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“…To date, Lassa cases have only been reported in West Africa with Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone containing most endemic hotspots 9 . Nigeria, in particular, has seen a significant increase in incidence in recent years, and confirmed more than a thousand cases in 2020 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lassa is a viral hemorrhagic fever with variable but generally high case fatality rates 6 for which efficacious countermeasures are currently lacking 7,8 . To date, Lassa cases have only been reported in West Africa with Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone containing most endemic hotspots 9 . Nigeria, in particular, has seen a significant increase in incidence in recent years, and confirmed more than a thousand cases in 2020 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting the evolution of Lassa Virus endemic area and population at risk over the next decades

Klitting

Kafetzopoulou

Thiery

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Lassa fever is listed among the diseases that pose the greatest risks to public health by the World Health Organization. This severe viral hemorrhagic fever is caused by Lassa virus, a zoonotic pathogen that repeatedly spills over to humans from its rodent reservoirs. It is currently not known how climate change, transformations in land use, and human population growth could affect the endemic area of this virus, currently limited to parts of West Africa. By exploring the environmental data associated with virus occurrence, we show how temperature, precipitation and the presence of pastures determine ecological suitability for virus circulation. We project that regions in Central and East Africa will likely become suitable for Lassa virus over the next decades and estimate that the total population living in areas suitable for Lassa virus may grow from about 100 million to 700 million by 2070. By analysing geotagged viral genomes, we find that in the event of Lassa virus being introduced into a new suitable region, its spread might remain spatially limited over the first decades. Our results highlight how the endemic area of Lassa virus may expand well beyond West Africa in the next decades due to human impact on the environment, putting hundreds of million more people at risk of infection.

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Epidemiology of Lassa Fever

Cited by 16 publications

References 83 publications

Exotic viral hepatitis: A review on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment

Exotic viral hepatitis: A review on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment

Differential pathogenesis of closely related 2018 Nigerian outbreak clade III Lassa virus isolates

Predicting the evolution of Lassa Virus endemic area and population at risk over the next decades

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