Serological and molecular study of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in cattle from selected districts in Uganda

Balinandi, Stephen; Brömssen, Claudia von; Tumusiime, Alex; Kyondo, Jackson; Kwon, Hyesoo; Monteil, Vanessa; Mirazimi, Alì; Lutwama, Julius J.; Mugisha, Lawrence; Malmberg, Maja

doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114075

Cited by 32 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Epidemiological studies have identified viral pathogens related to severe human diseases in Africa, such as CCHFV [ 16 ] and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) [ 17 ]. These human disease-causing viruses have high seroprevalence in domestic animals and livestock farmers in Uganda [ 18 ], Tunisia [ 19 ], Senegal [ 20 ], Sudan [ 21 ], and Kenya [ 22 ]. Kenya is a sub-Saharan country predicted to have a higher risk of human CCHF infection [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viromes and surveys of RNA viruses in camel-derived ticks revealing transmission patterns of novel tick-borne viral pathogens in Kenya

You

Agwanda

et al. 2021

Emerging Microbes & Infections

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Tick-borne viruses (TBVs) capable of transmitting between ticks and hosts have been increasingly recognized as a global public health concern. In this study, Hyalomma ticks and serum samples from camels were collected using recorded sampling correlations in eastern Kenya. Viromes of pooled ticks were profiled by metagenomic sequencing, revealing a diverse community of viruses related to at least 11 families. Five highly abundant viruses, including three novel viruses (Iftin tick virus, Mbalambala tick virus [MATV], and Bangali torovirus [BanToV]) and new strains of previously identified viruses (Bole tick virus 4 [BLTV4] and Liman tick virus [LMTV]), were characterized in terms of genome sequences, organizations, and phylogeny, and their molecular prevalence was investigated in individual ticks. Moreover, viremia and antibody responses to these viruses have been investigated in camels. MATV, BLTV4, LMTV, and BanToV were identified as viral pathogens that can potentially cause zoonotic diseases. The transmission patterns of these viruses were summarized, suggesting three different types according to the sampling relationships between viral RNA-positive ticks and camels positive for viral RNA and/or antibodies. They also revealed the frequent transmission of BanToV and limited but effective transmission of other viruses between ticks and camels. Furthermore, follow-up surveys on TBVs from tick, animal, and human samples with definite sampling relationships are suggested. The findings revealed substantial threats from the emerging TBVs and may guide the prevention and control of TBV-related zoonotic diseases in Kenya and in other African countries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viromes and surveys of RNA viruses in camel-derived ticks revealing transmission patterns of novel tick-borne viral pathogens in Kenya

You

Agwanda

et al. 2021

Emerging Microbes & Infections

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“…It appears that seroprevalence of CCHFV in cattle is relatively high across Africa, especially when we compare our results to those in Uganda (75%) and Sudan (57%), which were also based on IDvet ELISA (Mangombi et al 2020, Balinandi et al 2021. Overall, the exposure to CCHFV in cattle is heterogeneous across herds in different African regions, and factors driving such variations are not well clarified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Livestock Presence Influences the Seroprevalence of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus on Sympatric Wildlife in Kenya

Obanda

Agwanda

Blanco‐Penedo

et al. 2021

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic viral disease with the potential of causing public health emergencies. However, less is known about the role of wildlife and livestock in spreading the virus. Therefore, we aimed to assess how the interactions between African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and cattle may influence the seroprevalence of CCHF across livestock-wildlife management systems in Kenya. The study included archived sera samples from buffalo and cattle from wildlife only habitats (Lake Nakuru National Park and Solio conservancy), open wildlife-livestock integrated habitats (Maasai Mara ecosystem and Meru National Park), and closed wildlife-livestock habitats (Ol Pejeta Conservancy) in Kenya. We analyzed 191 buffalo and 139 cattle sera using IDvet multispecies, double-antigen IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence toward Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) was significantly higher for buffalo compared to cattle (75.3% and 28.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). We obtained the highest seroprevalence among buffalo of 92.1% in closed wildlife only systems compared to 28.8% and 46.1% prevalence in closed-integrated and open-integrated systems, respectively. The regression coefficients were all negative for cattle compared to buffalo in both closed-integrated and open-integrated compared to wildlife only system. Our results show that CCHFV circulates among the diverse animal community in Kenya in spatially disconnected foci. The habitat overlap between cattle and buffalo makes cattle a ''bridge species'' or superspreader host for CCHFV and increases transmission risks to humans. The effect of animal management system on prevalence is depended on tick control on the cattle and not the animal per se. We conclude that buffalo, a host with a longer life span than livestock, is a reservoir and may serve as a sentinel population for longitudinal surveillance of CCHFV.

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“…This argument appears to be supported by data from our recent study in which CCHFV was determined to be widespread in Uganda, including in areas with no history of human cases. 17 Furthermore, despite limited CCHFV sequences from neighboring countries, the close relationships of the Ugandan CCHFV sequences demonstrate that novel CCHFV variants, as far as we know, are unlikely being introduced into the country. This is in contrast to CCHFV sequences from Iran and Pakistan, where animal trade and movement is hypothesized to have led to the introduction of novel CCHFV variants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…ticks. [15][16][17] Because of its potential for use as an agent of bioterror 18 and the lack of approved therapeutics or vaccines, CCHF is listed by WHO as a priority emerging disease requiring accelerated efforts in surveillance, research, and diagnostics development. 19 In Uganda, CCHF surveillance was initiated in May 2010, as part of the efforts to strengthen the national capacity to control viral hemorrhagic fevers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Humans in Uganda, 2013–2019

Balinandi

Whitmer

Mulei

et al. 2022

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is endemic in Uganda, yet its epidemiology remains largely uncharacterized. To better understand its occurrence within Uganda, case reports of patients hospitalized with CCHF between 2013 and 2019 were reviewed. Further, genome sequences of CCHF-positive RNA obtained during this period were determined for phylogenetic comparisons. We found that a total of 32 cases (75% males; CFR, 31.2%), aged between 9 to 68 years, were reported during the study period. Most cases were detected during July to December of each outbreak year (81.2%; P < 0.01) and were located along the “cattle corridor” (68.7%, P = 0.03). The most common presenting symptoms were fever (93.8%), hemorrhage (81.3%), headache (78.1%), fatigue (68.8%), vomiting (68.8%), and myalgia (65.6%). In five patients for whom hematological data were available, varied abnormalities were observed including thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, anemia, lymphopenia, lymphocytosis, polycythemia, and microcytosis. About 56.3% (P = 0.47) of patients reported tick bites or exposure to livestock as their potential source of infection. Person-to-person transmission was suspected for two cases. Using unbiased metagenomics, we found that the viral S- and L- segments have remained conserved in Africa 2 clade since the 1950s. In contrast, the M segment split into two geographically interspersed clades; one that belongs to Africa 2 and another that is ancestral to Africa 1 and 2. Overall, this data summarizes information on the history and clinical presentation of human CCHF in Uganda. Importantly, it identifies vulnerable populations as well as temporal and geographic regions in Uganda where surveillance and control interventions could be focused.

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Serological and molecular study of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in cattle from selected districts in Uganda

Cited by 32 publications

References 48 publications

Viromes and surveys of RNA viruses in camel-derived ticks revealing transmission patterns of novel tick-borne viral pathogens in Kenya

Viromes and surveys of RNA viruses in camel-derived ticks revealing transmission patterns of novel tick-borne viral pathogens in Kenya

Livestock Presence Influences the Seroprevalence of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus on Sympatric Wildlife in Kenya

Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Humans in Uganda, 2013–2019

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