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Mariën J, Sage M, Bangura U, Lamé A, Koropogui M, Rieger T, Soropogui B, Douno M, Magassouba N, Fichet-Calvet E. Rodent control strategies and Lassa virus: some unexpected effects in Guinea, West Africa. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2341141. [PMID: 38597241 PMCID: PMC11034454 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2341141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is the host of Lassa mammarenavirus, causing Lassa haemorrhagic fever in West Africa. As there is currently no operational vaccine and therapeutic drugs are limited, we explored rodent control as an alternative to prevent Lassa virus spillover in Upper Guinea, where the disease is highly endemic in rural areas. In a seven-year experiment, we distributed rodenticides for 10-30 days once a year and, in the last year, added intensive snap trapping for three months in all the houses of one village. We also captured rodents both before and after the intervention period to assess their effectiveness by examining alterations in trapping success and infection rates (Lassa virus RNA and IgG antibodies). We found that both interventions reduced the rodent population by 74-92% but swiftly rebounded to pre-treatment levels, even already six months after the last snap-trapping control. Furthermore, while we observed that chemical control modestly decreased Lassa virus infection rates annually (a reduction of 5% in seroprevalence per year), the intensive trapping unexpectedly led to a significantly higher infection rate (from a seroprevalence of 28% before to 67% after snap trapping control). After seven years, we conclude that annual chemical control, alone or with intensive trapping, is ineffective and sometimes counterproductive in preventing Lassa virus spillover in rural villages. These unexpected findings may result from density-dependent breeding compensation following culling and the survival of a small percentage of chronically infected rodents that may spread the virus to a new susceptible generation of mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Mariën
- Evolutionary Ecology group, Department of Biology University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Virus Ecology unit, Department of Biomedical sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Mickaël Sage
- Faune INNOV’ R&D – Wildlife INNOVATION, Besançon, France
| | - Umaru Bangura
- Implementation Research, Zoonoses Control group, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alicia Lamé
- Faune INNOV’ R&D – Wildlife INNOVATION, Besançon, France
| | - Michel Koropogui
- Projet des fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, Laboratoire de Virologie, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Toni Rieger
- Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Barré Soropogui
- Projet des fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, Laboratoire de Virologie, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Moussa Douno
- Projet des fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, Laboratoire de Virologie, Conakry, Guinea
| | - N’Faly Magassouba
- Projet des fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, Laboratoire de Virologie, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet
- Implementation Research, Zoonoses Control group, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Brouwer PJM, Perrett HR, Beaumont T, Nijhuis H, Kruijer S, Burger JA, Bontjer I, Lee WH, Ferguson JA, Schauflinger M, Müller-Kräuter H, Sanders RW, Strecker T, van Gils MJ, Ward AB. Defining bottlenecks and opportunities for Lassa virus neutralization by structural profiling of vaccine-induced polyclonal antibody responses. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114708. [PMID: 39243373 PMCID: PMC11422484 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Lassa fever continues to be a major public health burden in West Africa, yet effective therapies or vaccines are lacking. The isolation of protective neutralizing antibodies against the Lassa virus glycoprotein complex (GPC) justifies the development of vaccines that can elicit strong neutralizing antibody responses. However, Lassa vaccine candidates have generally been unsuccessful at doing so, and the associated antibody responses to these vaccines remain poorly characterized. Here, we establish an electron microscopy-based epitope mapping workflow that enables high-resolution structural characterization of polyclonal antibodies to the GPC. By applying this method to rabbits vaccinated with a recombinant GPC vaccine and a GPC-derived virus-like particle, we reveal determinants of neutralization that involve epitopes of the GPC-A competition cluster. Furthermore, by identifying undescribed immunogenic off-target epitopes, we expose the challenges that recombinant GPC vaccines face. By enabling detailed polyclonal antibody characterization, our work ushers in a next generation of more rational Lassa vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J M Brouwer
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Hailee R Perrett
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tim Beaumont
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Haye Nijhuis
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sabine Kruijer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judith A Burger
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ilja Bontjer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - James A Ferguson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | | | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Thomas Strecker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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3
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Smith DRM, Turner J, Fahr P, Attfield LA, Bessell PR, Donnelly CA, Gibb R, Jones KE, Redding DW, Asogun D, Ayodeji OO, Azuogu BN, Fischer WA, Jan K, Olayinka AT, Wohl DA, Torkelson AA, Dinkel KA, Nixon EJ, Pouwels KB, Hollingsworth TD. Health and economic impacts of Lassa vaccination campaigns in West Africa. Nat Med 2024:10.1038/s41591-024-03232-y. [PMID: 39198710 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03232-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having pandemic potential. This study estimates the health-economic burden of Lassa fever throughout West Africa and projects impacts of a series of vaccination campaigns. We also model the emergence of 'Lassa-X'-a hypothetical pandemic Lassa virus variant-and project impacts of achieving 100 Days Mission vaccination targets. Our model predicted 2.7 million (95% uncertainty interval: 2.1-3.4 million) Lassa virus infections annually, resulting over 10 years in 2.0 million (793,800-3.9 million) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The most effective vaccination strategy was a population-wide preventive campaign primarily targeting WHO-classified 'endemic' districts. Under conservative vaccine efficacy assumptions, this campaign averted $20.1 million ($8.2-$39.0 million) in lost DALY value and $128.2 million ($67.2-$231.9 million) in societal costs (2021 international dollars ($)). Reactive vaccination in response to local outbreaks averted just one-tenth the health-economic burden of preventive campaigns. In the event of Lassa-X emerging, spreading throughout West Africa and causing approximately 1.2 million DALYs within 2 years, 100 Days Mission vaccination averted 22% of DALYs given a vaccine 70% effective against disease and 74% of DALYs given a vaccine 70% effective against both infection and disease. These findings suggest how vaccination could alleviate Lassa fever's burden and assist in pandemic preparedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R M Smith
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, Health Economics Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Joanne Turner
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Patrick Fahr
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lauren A Attfield
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Christl A Donnelly
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rory Gibb
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kate E Jones
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Danny Asogun
- Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | | | - Benedict N Azuogu
- Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Abakaliki, Nigeria
| | - William A Fischer
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kamji Jan
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
| | | | - David A Wohl
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Emily J Nixon
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Koen B Pouwels
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, Health Economics Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - T Déirdre Hollingsworth
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, NDM Centre for Global Health Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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4
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Madueme PGU, Chirove F. A systematic review of mathematical models of Lassa fever. Math Biosci 2024; 374:109227. [PMID: 38844262 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2024.109227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
This systematic review, conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, scrutinizes mathematical models employed in the study of Lassa fever. The analysis revealed the inherent heterogeneity in both models and data, posing significant challenges to parameter estimation. While health and behavioral interventions exhibit promise in mitigating the disease's spread, their efficacy is contingent upon contextual factors. Identified through this review are critical gaps, limitations, and avenues for future research, necessitating increased harmonization and standardization in modeling approaches. The considerations of seasonal and spatial variations emerge as crucial elements demanding targeted investigation. The perpetual threat of emerging diseases, coupled with the enduring public health impact of Lassa fever, underscores the imperative for sustained research endeavors and investments in mathematical modeling. The conclusion underscored that while mathematical modeling remains an invaluable tool in the combat against Lassa fever, its optimal utilization mandates multidisciplinary collaboration, refined data collection methodologies, and an enriched understanding of the intricate disease dynamics. This comprehensive approach is essential for effectively reducing the burden of Lassa fever and safeguarding the health of vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praise-God Uchechukwu Madueme
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Faraimunashe Chirove
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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5
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Aida-Ficken V, Kelly JA, Chatterjee P, Jenks MH, McMullan LK, Albariño CG, Montgomery JM, Seley-Radtke KL, Spiropoulou CF, Flint M. Identification of a macrocyclic compound targeting the lassa virus polymerase. Antiviral Res 2024; 228:105923. [PMID: 38844175 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
There are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for Lassa virus (LASV) infections. To identify compounds with anti-LASV activity, we conducted a cell-based screening campaign at biosafety level 4 and tested almost 60,000 compounds for activity against an infectious reporter LASV. Hits from this screen included several structurally related macrocycles. The most potent, Mac128, had a sub-micromolar EC50 against the reporter virus, inhibited wild-type clade IV LASV, and reduced viral titers by 4 orders of magnitude. Mechanistic studies suggested that Mac128 inhibited viral replication at the level of the polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Aida-Ficken
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Jamie A Kelly
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Payel Chatterjee
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - M Harley Jenks
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Laura K McMullan
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - César G Albariño
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joel M Montgomery
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katherine L Seley-Radtke
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mike Flint
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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6
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Nuismer SL, Basinski AJ, Schreiner CL, Eskew EA, Fichet-Calvet E, Remien CH. Quantifying the risk of spillover reduction programs for human health. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012358. [PMID: 39146377 PMCID: PMC11349207 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 08/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Reducing spillover of zoonotic pathogens is an appealing approach to preventing human disease and minimizing the risk of future epidemics and pandemics. Although the immediate human health benefit of reducing spillover is clear, over time, spillover reduction could lead to counterintuitive negative consequences for human health. Here, we use mathematical models and computer simulations to explore the conditions under which unanticipated consequences of spillover reduction can occur in systems where the severity of disease increases with age at infection. Our results demonstrate that, because the average age at infection increases as spillover is reduced, programs that reduce spillover can actually increase population-level disease burden if the clinical severity of infection increases sufficiently rapidly with age. If, however, immunity wanes over time and reinfection is possible, our results reveal that negative health impacts of spillover reduction become substantially less likely. When our model is parameterized using published data on Lassa virus in West Africa, it predicts that negative health outcomes are possible, but likely to be restricted to a small subset of populations where spillover is unusually intense. Together, our results suggest that adverse consequences of spillover reduction programs are unlikely but that the public health gains observed immediately after spillover reduction may fade over time as the age structure of immunity gradually re-equilibrates to a reduced force of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott L. Nuismer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Andrew J. Basinski
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Courtney L. Schreiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Evan A. Eskew
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | | | - Christopher H. Remien
- Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
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7
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Moore KA, Ostrowsky JT, Mehr AJ, Johnson RA, Ulrich AK, Moua NM, Fay PC, Hart PJ, Golding JP, Benassi V, Preziosi MP, Adetifa IM, Akpede GO, Ampofo WK, Asogun DA, Barrett ADT, Bausch DG, de Coster I, Emperador DM, Feldmann H, Fichet-Calvet E, Formenty PBH, Garry RF, Grant DS, Günther S, Gupta SB, Jaspard M, Mazzola LT, Okogbenin SA, Roth C, Schmaljohn CS, Osterholm MT. Lassa fever research priorities: towards effective medical countermeasures by the end of the decade. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024:S1473-3099(24)00229-9. [PMID: 38964363 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00229-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
In 2016, WHO designated Lassa fever a priority disease for epidemic preparedness as part of the WHO Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics. One aspect of preparedness is to promote development of effective medical countermeasures (ie, diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines) against Lassa fever. Diagnostic testing for Lassa fever has important limitations and key advancements are needed to ensure rapid and accurate diagnosis. Additionally, the only treatment available for Lassa fever is ribavirin, but controversy exists regarding its effectiveness. Finally, no licensed vaccines are available for the prevention and control of Lassa fever. Ongoing epidemiological and behavioural studies are also crucial in providing actionable information for medical countermeasure development, use, and effectiveness in preventing and treating Lassa fever. This Personal View provides current research priorities for development of Lassa fever medical countermeasures based on literature published primarily in the last 5 years and consensus opinion of 20 subject matter experts with broad experience in public health or the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for Lassa fever. These priorities provide an important framework to ensure that Lassa fever medical countermeasures are developed and readily available for use in endemic and at-risk areas by the end of the decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine A Moore
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Julia T Ostrowsky
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Angela J Mehr
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rebecca A Johnson
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Angela K Ulrich
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nicolina M Moua
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Petra C Fay
- Infectious Disease Strategic Programme, Wellcome Trust, London, UK
| | - Peter J Hart
- Infectious Disease Strategic Programme, Wellcome Trust, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - George O Akpede
- Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria; Institute of Viral and Emergent Pathogens Control and Research (formerly, Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Alan D T Barrett
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Daniel G Bausch
- FIND, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ilse de Coster
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Heinz Feldmann
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | | | | | - Robert F Garry
- Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Zalgen Labs, Frederick, MD, USA; Global Viral Network, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Donald S Grant
- Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone; College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Stephan Günther
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Swati B Gupta
- lnternational AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marie Jaspard
- The Alliance for International Medical Action, Dakar, Senegal; Saint-Antoine Hospital, Infectious Disease Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; INSERM Unit 1136 Institut Pierre Louis D'Epidémiologie et de Sante Publique, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Cathy Roth
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, London, UK
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael T Osterholm
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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8
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Smith DRM, Turner J, Fahr P, Attfield LA, Bessell PR, Donnelly CA, Gibb R, Jones KE, Redding DW, Asogun D, Ayodeji OO, Azuogu BN, Fischer WA, Jan K, Olayinka AT, Wohl DA, Torkelson AA, Dinkel KA, Nixon EJ, Pouwels KB, Hollingsworth TD. Health and economic impacts of Lassa vaccination campaigns in West Africa. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.02.26.24303394. [PMID: 38978680 PMCID: PMC11230338 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.26.24303394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having pandemic potential. This study estimates the health-economic burden of Lassa fever throughout West Africa and projects impacts of a series of vaccination campaigns. We also model the emergence of "Lassa-X" - a hypothetical pandemic Lassa virus variant - and project impacts of achieving 100 Days Mission vaccination targets. Our model predicted 2.7M (95% uncertainty interval: 2.1M-3.4M) Lassa virus infections annually, resulting over ten years in 2.0M (793.8K-3.9M) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The most effective vaccination strategy was a population-wide preventive campaign primarily targeting WHO-classified "endemic" districts. Under conservative vaccine efficacy assumptions, this campaign averted $20.1M ($8.2M-$39.0M) in lost DALY value and $128.2M ($67.2M-$231.9M) in societal costs (International dollars 2021). Reactive vaccination in response to local outbreaks averted just one-tenth the health-economic burden of preventive campaigns. In the event of Lassa-X emerging, spreading throughout West Africa and causing approximately 1.2M DALYs within two years, 100 Days Mission vaccination averted 22% of DALYs given a vaccine 70% effective against disease, and 74% of DALYs given a vaccine 70% effective against both infection and disease. These findings suggest how vaccination could alleviate Lassa fever's burden and assist in pandemic preparedness.
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9
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Hashizume M, Takashima A, Iwasaki M. An mRNA-LNP-based Lassa virus vaccine induces protective immunity in mice. J Virol 2024; 98:e0057824. [PMID: 38767352 PMCID: PMC11237644 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00578-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The mammarenavirus Lassa virus (LASV) causes the life-threatening hemorrhagic fever disease, Lassa fever. The lack of licensed medical countermeasures against LASV underscores the urgent need for the development of novel LASV vaccines, which has been hampered by the requirement for a biosafety level 4 facility to handle live LASV. Here, we investigated the efficacy of mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP)-based vaccines expressing the LASV glycoprotein precursor (LASgpc) or nucleoprotein (LCMnp) of the prototypic mammarenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), in mice. Two doses of LASgpc- or LCMnp-mRNA-LNP administered intravenously (i.v.) protected C57BL/6 mice from a lethal challenge with a recombinant (r) LCMV expressing a modified LASgpc (rLCMV/LASgpc2m) inoculated intracranially. Intramuscular (i.m.) immunization with two doses of LASgpc- or LCMnp-mRNA-LNP significantly reduced the viral load in C57BL/6 mice inoculated i.v. with rLCMV/LASgpc2m. High levels of viremia and lethality were observed in CBA mice inoculated i.v. with rLCMV/LASgpc2m, which were abrogated by i.m. immunization with two doses of LASgpc-mRNA-LNP. The protective efficacy of two i.m. doses of LCMnp-mRNA-LNP was confirmed in a lethal hemorrhagic disease model of FVB mice i.v. inoculated with wild-type rLCMV. In all conditions tested, negligible and high levels of LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific antibodies were detected in mRNA-LNP-immunized mice, respectively, but robust LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific CD8+ T cell responses were induced. Accordingly, plasma from LASgpc-mRNA-LNP-immunized mice did not exhibit neutralizing activity. Our findings and surrogate mouse models of LASV infection, which can be studied at a reduced biocontainment level, provide a critical foundation for the rapid development of mRNA-LNP-based LASV vaccines.IMPORTANCELassa virus (LASV) is a highly pathogenic mammarenavirus responsible for several hundred thousand infections annually in West African countries, causing a high number of lethal Lassa fever (LF) cases. Despite its significant impact on human health, clinically approved, safe, and effective medical countermeasures against LF are not available. The requirement of a biosafety level 4 facility to handle live LASV has been one of the main obstacles to the research and development of LASV countermeasures. Here, we report that two doses of mRNA-lipid nanoparticle-based vaccines expressing the LASV glycoprotein precursor (LASgpc) or nucleoprotein (LCMnp) of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a mammarenavirus genetically closely related to LASV, conferred protection to recombinant LCMV-based surrogate mouse models of lethal LASV infection. Notably, robust LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific CD8+ T cell responses were detected in mRNA-LNP-immunized mice, whereas no virus-neutralizing activity was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Hashizume
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Diseases, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ayako Takashima
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Diseases, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaharu Iwasaki
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Diseases, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Advanced Modalities and Drug Delivery System, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- RNA Frontier Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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10
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Eskew EA, Bird BH, Ghersi BM, Bangura J, Basinski AJ, Amara E, Bah MA, Kanu MC, Kanu OT, Lavalie EG, Lungay V, Robert W, Vandi MA, Fichet-Calvet E, Nuismer SL. Reservoir displacement by an invasive rodent reduces Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3589. [PMID: 38678025 PMCID: PMC11055883 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47991-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a globally invasive species that has been widely introduced across Africa. Within its invasive range in West Africa, R. rattus may compete with the native rodent Mastomys natalensis, the primary reservoir host of Lassa virus, a zoonotic pathogen that kills thousands annually. Here, we use rodent trapping data from Sierra Leone and Guinea to show that R. rattus presence reduces M. natalensis density within the human dwellings where Lassa virus exposure is most likely to occur. Further, we integrate infection data from M. natalensis to demonstrate that Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk is lower at sites with R. rattus. While non-native species can have numerous negative effects on ecosystems, our results suggest that R. rattus invasion has the indirect benefit of decreasing zoonotic spillover of an endemic pathogen, with important implications for invasive species control across West Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Eskew
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
| | - Brian H Bird
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Bruno M Ghersi
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | | | - Andrew J Basinski
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | | | - Mohamed A Bah
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Scott L Nuismer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
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11
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Olayemi A, Schmid DW, Fleischer R, Wilhelm K, Heni AC, Mueller-Klein N, Haikukutu L, Fichet-Calvet E, Günther S, Sommer S. MHC-I alleles mediate clearance and antibody response to the zoonotic Lassa virus in Mastomys rodent reservoirs. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011984. [PMID: 38421939 PMCID: PMC10903922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
West African Mastomys rodents are the primary reservoir of the zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV). The virus causes haemorrhagic Lassa fever and considerable mortality in humans. To date, the role of Mastomys immunogenetics in resistance to, and persistence of, LASV infections is largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of Major Histocompatibility Complex class I (MHC-I) on LASV infection status (i.e., active vs. cleared infection, determined via PCR and an immunofluorescence assay on IgG antibodies, respectively) in Mastomys natalensis and M. erythroleucus sampled within southwestern Nigeria. We identified more than 190 and 90 MHC-I alleles by Illumina high throughput-sequencing in M. natalensis and M. erythroleucus, respectively, with different MHC allele compositions and frequencies between LASV endemic and non-endemic sites. In M. natalensis, the MHC allele ManaMHC-I*006 was negatively associated with active infections (PCR-positive) and positively associated with cleared infections (IgG-positive) simultaneously, suggesting efficient immune responses that facilitate LASV clearance in animals carrying this allele. Contrarily, alleles ManaMHC-I*008 and ManaMHC-I*021 in M. natalensis, and MaerMHC-I*008 in M. erythroleucus, were positively associated with active infection, implying susceptibility. Alleles associated with susceptibility shared a glutamic acid at the positively selected codon 57, while ManaMHC-I*006 featured an arginine. There was no link between number of MHC alleles per Mastomys individual and LASV prevalence. Thus, specific alleles, but not MHC diversity per se, seem to mediate antibody responses to viremia. We conclude that co-evolution with LASV likely shaped the MHC-I diversity of the main LASV reservoirs in southwestern Nigeria, and that information on reservoir immunogenetics may hold insights into transmission dynamics and zoonotic spillover risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayodeji Olayemi
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Dominik Werner Schmid
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ramona Fleischer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Nadine Mueller-Klein
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lavinia Haikukutu
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet
- Department of Zoonoses Control, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Günther
- Department of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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12
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Brouwer PJ, Perrett HR, Beaumont T, Nijhuis H, Kruijer S, Burger JA, Lee WH, Müller-Kraüter H, Sanders RW, Strecker T, van Gils MJ, Ward AB. Defining bottlenecks and opportunities for Lassa virus neutralization by structural profiling of vaccine-induced polyclonal antibody responses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.21.572918. [PMID: 38187682 PMCID: PMC10769344 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.21.572918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Lassa fever continues to be a major public health burden in endemic countries in West Africa, yet effective therapies or vaccines are lacking. The isolation of potent and protective neutralizing antibodies against the Lassa virus glycoprotein complex (GPC) justifies the development of vaccines that can elicit strong neutralizing antibody responses. However, Lassa vaccines candidates have generally been unsuccessful in doing so and the associated antibody responses to these vaccines remain poorly characterized. Here, we establish an electron-microscopy based epitope mapping pipeline that enables high-resolution structural characterization of polyclonal antibodies to GPC. By applying this method to rabbits vaccinated with a recombinant GPC vaccine and a GPC-derived virus-like particle, we reveal determinants of neutralization which involve epitopes of the GPC-C, GPC-A, and GP1-A competition clusters. Furthermore, by identifying previously undescribed immunogenic off-target epitopes, we expose challenges that recombinant GPC vaccines face. By enabling detailed polyclonal antibody characterization, our work ushers in a next generation of more rational Lassa vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J.M. Brouwer
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Hailee R. Perrett
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tim Beaumont
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Haye Nijhuis
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Sabine Kruijer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Judith A. Burger
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Rogier W. Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Thomas Strecker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marit J. van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew B. Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Lead contact
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13
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Adesina AS, Oyeyiola A, Obadare A, Igbokwe J, Abejegah C, Akhilomen P, Bangura U, Asogun D, Tobin E, Ayodeji O, Osoniyi O, Davis C, Thomson EC, Pahlmann M, Günther S, Fichet-Calvet E, Olayemi A. Circulation of Lassa virus across the endemic Edo-Ondo axis, Nigeria, with cross-species transmission between multimammate mice. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2219350. [PMID: 37288752 PMCID: PMC10251791 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2219350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We phylogenetically compared sequences of the zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV) obtained from Mastomys rodents in seven localities across the highly endemic Edo and Ondo States within Nigeria. Sequencing 1641 nt from the S segment of the virus genome, we resolved clades within lineage II that were either limited to Ebudin and Okhuesan in Edo state (2g-beta) or along Owo-Okeluse-Ifon in Ondo state (2g-gamma). We also found clades within Ekpoma, a relatively large cosmopolitan town in Edo state, that extended into other localities within Edo (2g-alpha) and Ondo (2g-delta). LASV variants from M. natalensis within Ebudin and Ekpoma in Edo State (dated approximately 1961) were more ancient compared to those from Ondo state (approximately 1977), suggesting a broadly east-west virus migration across south-western Nigeria; a pattern not always consistent with LASV sequences derived from humans in the same localities. Additionally, in Ebudin and Ekpoma, LASV sequences between M. natalensis and M. erythroleucus were interspersed on the phylogenetic tree, but those from M. erythroleucus were estimated to emerge more recently (approximately 2005). Overall, our results show that LASV amplification in certain localities (reaching a prevalence as high as 76% in Okeluse), anthropogenically-aided spread of rodent-borne variants amidst the larger towns (involving communal accommodation such as student hostels), and virus-exchange between syntopic M. natalensis and M. erythroleucus rodents (as the latter, a savanna species, encroaches southward into the degraded forest) pose perpetual zoonotic hazard across the Edo-Ondo Lassa fever belt, threatening to accelerate the dissemination of the virus into non endemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adetunji Samuel Adesina
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Akinlabi Oyeyiola
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Adeoba Obadare
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Joseph Igbokwe
- Department of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Umaru Bangura
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny Asogun
- Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria
| | - Ekaete Tobin
- Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria
| | | | - Omolaja Osoniyi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Chris Davis
- Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Emma C Thomson
- Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Meike Pahlmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Günther
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Ayodeji Olayemi
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
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14
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Arruda LB, Free HB, Simons D, Ansumana R, Elton L, Haider N, Honeyborne I, Asogun D, McHugh TD, Ntoumi F, Zumla A, Kock R. Current sampling and sequencing biases of Lassa mammarenavirus limit inference from phylogeography and molecular epidemiology in Lassa fever endemic regions. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002159. [PMID: 37939051 PMCID: PMC10631635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Lassa fever (LF) is a potentially lethal viral haemorrhagic infection of humans caused by Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV). It is an important endemic zoonotic disease in West Africa with growing evidence for increasing frequency and sizes of outbreaks. Phylogeographic and molecular epidemiology methods have projected expansion of the Lassa fever endemic zone in the context of future global change. The Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is the predominant LASV reservoir, with few studies investigating the role of other animal species. To explore host sequencing biases, all LASV nucleotide sequences and associated metadata available on GenBank (n = 2,298) were retrieved. Most data originated from Nigeria (54%), Guinea (20%) and Sierra Leone (14%). Data from non-human hosts (n = 703) were limited and only 69 sequences encompassed complete genes. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of confirmed human cases and sequences at the country level (r = 0.93 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.71-0.98), p < 0.001) but no correlation exists between confirmed cases and the number of available rodent sequences (r = -0.019 (95% C.I. -0.71-0.69), p = 0.96). Spatial modelling of sequencing effort highlighted current biases in locations of available sequences, with increased sequencing effort observed in Southern Guinea and Southern Nigeria. Phylogenetic analyses showed geographic clustering of LASV lineages, suggestive of isolated events of human-to-rodent transmission and the emergence of currently circulating strains of LASV from the year 1498 in Nigeria. Overall, the current study highlights significant geographic limitations in LASV surveillance, particularly, in non-human hosts. Further investigation of the non-human reservoir of LASV, alongside expanded surveillance, are required for precise characterisation of the emergence and dispersal of LASV. Accurate surveillance of LASV circulation in non-human hosts is vital to guide early detection and initiation of public health interventions for future Lassa fever outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liã Bárbara Arruda
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hayley Beth Free
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - David Simons
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Rashid Ansumana
- School of Community Health Sciences, Njala University, Bo, Sierra Leone
| | - Linzy Elton
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Najmul Haider
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Isobella Honeyborne
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Danny Asogun
- Ekpoma and Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Ambrose Alli University, Irrua, Nigeria
| | - Timothy D. McHugh
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francine Ntoumi
- Fondation Congolaise Pour la Recherche Médicale (FCRM), Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alimuddin Zumla
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Kock
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom
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15
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Layman NC, Basinski AJ, Zhang B, Eskew EA, Bird BH, Ghersi BM, Bangura J, Fichet-Calvet E, Remien CH, Vandi M, Bah M, Nuismer SL. Predicting the fine-scale spatial distribution of zoonotic reservoirs using computer vision. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1974-1986. [PMID: 37737493 PMCID: PMC11298155 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Zoonotic diseases threaten human health worldwide and are often associated with anthropogenic disturbance. Predicting how disturbance influences spillover risk is critical for effective disease intervention but difficult to achieve at fine spatial scales. Here, we develop a method that learns the spatial distribution of a reservoir species from aerial imagery. Our approach uses neural networks to extract features of known or hypothesized importance from images. The spatial distribution of these features is then summarized and linked to spatially explicit reservoir presence/absence data using boosted regression trees. We demonstrate the utility of our method by applying it to the reservoir of Lassa virus, Mastomys natalensis, within the West African nations of Sierra Leone and Guinea. We show that, when trained using reservoir trapping data and publicly available aerial imagery, our framework learns relationships between environmental features and reservoir occurrence and accurately ranks areas according to the likelihood of reservoir presence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan C. Layman
- EcoHealth Alliance, 520 Eighth Avenue, Ste. 1200, New York, NY 10018 and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
| | - Andrew J. Basinski
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
| | - Boyu Zhang
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
| | - Evan A. Eskew
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
| | - Brian H. Bird
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Bruno M. Ghersi
- Tufts University, 419 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155 and One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616
| | - James Bangura
- University of Makeni and University of California, Davis One Health Program, Makeni, Sierra Leone
| | - Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strafie 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christopher H. Remien
- Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
| | - Mohamed Vandi
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Mohamed Bah
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Scott L. Nuismer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843
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16
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Stenseth NC, Schlatte R, Liu X, Pielke R, Chen B, Bjørnstad ON, Kusnezov D, Gao GF, Fraser C, Whittington JD, Gong P, Guan D, Johnsen EB. Reply to Ekström and Ottersen: Real-time access to data during outbreaks is a key to avoid a local epidemic becoming a global pandemic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2312649120. [PMID: 37748067 PMCID: PMC10556645 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312649120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Center for Pandemics and One Health Research, Sustainable Health Unit (SUSTAINIT), Faculty of Medicine, Oslo0316, Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, China
| | - Rudolf Schlatte
- Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
| | - Xiaoli Liu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki00560, Finland
| | - Roger Pielke
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO80309
| | - Bin Chen
- Division of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong999077, China
| | - Ottar N. Bjørnstad
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
- Department of Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Dimitri Kusnezov
- Deputy Under Secretary, Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, US Department of Energy, Washington, DC20585
| | - George F. Gao
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
| | - Christophe Fraser
- Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, OxfordOX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
- Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford0X37LF, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D. Whittington
- Center for Pandemics and One Health Research, Sustainable Health Unit (SUSTAINIT), Faculty of Medicine, Oslo0316, Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
| | - Peng Gong
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Urban Systems Institute, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong999077, China
| | - Dabo Guan
- Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, China
- The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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17
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Sulis G, Peebles A, Basta NE. Lassa fever vaccine candidates: A scoping review of vaccine clinical trials. Trop Med Int Health 2023; 28:420-431. [PMID: 37095630 PMCID: PMC10247453 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Lassa fever (LF) is caused by a viral pathogen with pandemic potential. LF vaccines have the potential to prevent significant disease in individuals at risk of infection, but no such vaccine has been licensed or authorised for use thus far. We conducted a scoping review to identify and compare registered phase 1, 2 or 3 clinical trials of LF vaccine candidates, and appraise the current trajectory of LF vaccine development. METHOD We systematically searched 24 trial registries, PubMed, relevant conference abstracts and additional grey literature sources up to 27 October 2022. After extracting key details about each vaccine candidate and each eligible trial, we qualitatively synthesised the evidence. RESULTS We found that four LF vaccine candidates (INO-4500, MV-LASV, rVSV∆G-LASV-GPC, and EBS-LASV) have entered the clinical stage of assessment. Five phase 1 trials (all focused on healthy adults) and one phase 2 trial (involving a broader age group from 18 months to 70 years) evaluating one of these vaccines have been registered to date. Here, we describe the characteristics of each vaccine candidate and trial and compare them to WHO's target product profile for Lassa vaccines. CONCLUSION Though LF vaccine development is still in early stages, current progress towards a safe and effective vaccine is encouraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Sulis
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Alexandra Peebles
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Nicole E. Basta
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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18
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Barrile GM, Augustine DJ, Porensky LM, Duchardt CJ, Shoemaker KT, Hartway CR, Derner JD, Hunter EA, Davidson AD. A big data-model integration approach for predicting epizootics and population recovery in a keystone species. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2827. [PMID: 36846939 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to global health and biodiversity. Yet, predicting the spatiotemporal dynamics of wildlife epizootics remains challenging. Disease outbreaks result from complex nonlinear interactions among a large collection of variables that rarely adhere to the assumptions of parametric regression modeling. We adopted a nonparametric machine learning approach to model wildlife epizootics and population recovery, using the disease system of colonial black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus) and sylvatic plague as an example. We synthesized colony data between 2001 and 2020 from eight USDA Forest Service National Grasslands across the range of BTPDs in central North America. We then modeled extinctions due to plague and colony recovery of BTPDs in relation to complex interactions among climate, topoedaphic variables, colony characteristics, and disease history. Extinctions due to plague occurred more frequently when BTPD colonies were spatially clustered, in closer proximity to colonies decimated by plague during the previous year, following cooler than average temperatures the previous summer, and when wetter winter/springs were preceded by drier summers/falls. Rigorous cross-validations and spatial predictions indicated that our final models predicted plague outbreaks and colony recovery in BTPD with high accuracy (e.g., AUC generally >0.80). Thus, these spatially explicit models can reliably predict the spatial and temporal dynamics of wildlife epizootics and subsequent population recovery in a highly complex host-pathogen system. Our models can be used to support strategic management planning (e.g., plague mitigation) to optimize benefits of this keystone species to associated wildlife communities and ecosystem functioning. This optimization can reduce conflicts among different landowners and resource managers, as well as economic losses to the ranching industry. More broadly, our big data-model integration approach provides a general framework for spatially explicit forecasting of disease-induced population fluctuations for use in natural resource management decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel M Barrile
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | | | - Courtney J Duchardt
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kevin T Shoemaker
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | | | - Elizabeth A Hunter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Ana D Davidson
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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19
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Grant DS, Samuels RJ, Garry RF, Schieffelin JS. Lassa Fever Natural History and Clinical Management. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2023. [PMID: 37106159 DOI: 10.1007/82_2023_263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Lassa fever is caused by Lassa virus (LASV), an Old World Mammarenavirus that is carried by Mastomys natalensis and other rodents. It is endemic in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and other countries in West Africa. The clinical presentation of LASV infection is heterogenous varying from an inapparent or mild illness to a fatal hemorrhagic fever. Exposure to LASV is usually through contact with rodent excreta. After an incubation period of 1-3 weeks, initial symptoms such as fever, headache, and fatigue develop that may progress to sore throat, retrosternal chest pain, conjunctival injection, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Severe illness, including hypotension, shock, and multiorgan failure, develops in a minority of patients. Patient demographics and case fatality rates are distinctly different in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Laboratory diagnosis relies on the detection of LASV antigens or genomic RNA. LASV-specific immunoglobulin G and M assays can also contribute to clinical management. The mainstay of treatment for Lassa fever is supportive care. The nucleoside analog ribavirin is commonly used to treat acute Lassa fever but is considered useful only if treatment is begun early in the disease course. Drugs in development, including a monoclonal antibody cocktail, have the potential to impact the management of Lassa fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald S Grant
- Lassa Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kenema, Sierra Leone
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Robert J Samuels
- Lassa Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Robert F Garry
- School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
- Zalgen Labs, Frederick, MD, 21703, USA
- Global Virus Network (GVN), Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - John S Schieffelin
- School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
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20
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Li Y. Genetic basis underlying Lassa fever endemics in the Mano River region, West Africa. Virology 2023; 579:128-136. [PMID: 36669329 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Lassa fever (LF), a haemorrhagic fever disease caused by Lassa virus (LASV), is a serious public health burden in West Africa. The Mano River region (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire) has been an endemic focus of the disease over the past decades. Here, we deciphered the genetic basis underlying LF endemics in this region. Clade model and type I functional divergence analyses revealed that the major LASV group, Kenema sub-clade, which is currently circulating in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, has been affected by different selective pressure compared to isolates from the other areas with effects on the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein) and probably nucleoprotein (NP). Further, contingency analysis showed that, in the early endemic, the sub-clade has undergone adaptive diversification via acceleration of amino acid substitutions in L protein. These findings highlight the key viral factor and local adaptation regarding the endemicity of LF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, People's Republic of China.
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21
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Simons D, Attfield LA, Jones KE, Watson-Jones D, Kock R. Rodent trapping studies as an overlooked information source for understanding endemic and novel zoonotic spillover. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0010772. [PMID: 36689474 PMCID: PMC9894545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Rodents, a diverse, globally distributed and ecologically important order of mammals are nevertheless important reservoirs of known and novel zoonotic pathogens. Ongoing anthropogenic land use change is altering these species' abundance and distribution, which among zoonotic host species may increase the risk of zoonoses spillover events. A better understanding of the current distribution of rodent species is required to guide attempts to mitigate against potentially increased zoonotic disease hazard and risk. However, available species distribution and host-pathogen association datasets (e.g. IUCN, GBIF, CLOVER) are often taxonomically and spatially biased. Here, we synthesise data from West Africa from 127 rodent trapping studies, published between 1964-2022, as an additional source of information to characterise the range and presence of rodent species and identify the subgroup of species that are potential or known pathogen hosts. We identify that these rodent trapping studies, although biased towards human dominated landscapes across West Africa, can usefully complement current rodent species distribution datasets and we calculate the discrepancies between these datasets. For five regionally important zoonotic pathogens (Arenaviridae spp., Borrelia spp., Lassa mammarenavirus, Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii), we identify host-pathogen associations that have not been previously reported in host-association datasets. Finally, for these five pathogen groups, we find that the proportion of a rodent hosts range that have been sampled remains small with geographic clustering. A priority should be to sample rodent hosts across a greater geographic range to better characterise current and future risk of zoonotic spillover events. In the interim, studies of spatial pathogen risk informed by rodent distributions must incorporate a measure of the current sampling biases. The current synthesis of contextually rich rodent trapping data enriches available information from IUCN, GBIF and CLOVER which can support a more complete understanding of the hazard of zoonotic spillover events.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Simons
- Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, The Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
- Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren A. Attfield
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kate E. Jones
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah Watson-Jones
- Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Richard Kock
- Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, The Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
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22
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Tahmo NB, Wirsiy FS, Brett-Major DM. Modeling the Lassa fever outbreak synchronously occurring with cholera and COVID-19 outbreaks in Nigeria 2021: A threat to Global Health Security. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0001814. [PMID: 37192152 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Nigeria struggles with seasonal outbreaks of Lassa fever (LF), with 70 to 100% of its states affected annually. Since 2018, the seasonal dynamics have changed with a stark increase in infections, though the pattern in 2021 differed from the other years. Nigeria had three outbreaks of Lassa Fever in 2021. In that year, Nigeria also experienced substantial burdens from COVID-19 and Cholera. There is potential that these three outbreak events interacted with each other. This may have been from community disruption and so changes in how people access the health system, how the health system responds, or overlapping biological interactions, misclassification, social factors, misinformation, and pre-existing disparities and vulnerabilities. We assessed the syndemic potential of Lassa Fever, COVID-19, and Cholera through modeling their interactions across the 2021 calendar year employing a Poisson regression model. We included the number of states affected and the month of the year. We used these predictors to forecast the progression of the outbreak using a Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model. The Poisson model prediction for the confirmed number of Lassa fever cases was significantly dependent on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, the number of states affected, and the month of the year (p-value < 0.001), and the SARIMA model was a good fit, accounting for 48% of the change in the number of cases of Lassa fever (p-value < 0.001) with parameters ARIMA (6, 1, 3) (5, 0, 3). Lassa Fever, COVID-19, and Cholera 2021 case curves have mirrored dynamics and likely interact. Further research into common, intervenable aspects of those interactions should be performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B Tahmo
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States of America
| | - Frankline Sevidzem Wirsiy
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States of America
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Amref Health Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
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23
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Klitting R, Kafetzopoulou LE, Thiery W, Dudas G, Gryseels S, Kotamarthi A, Vrancken B, Gangavarapu K, Momoh M, Sandi JD, Goba A, Alhasan F, Grant DS, Okogbenin S, Ogbaini-Emovo E, Garry RF, Smither AR, Zeller M, Pauthner MG, McGraw M, Hughes LD, Duraffour S, Günther S, Suchard MA, Lemey P, Andersen KG, Dellicour S. Predicting the evolution of the Lassa virus endemic area and population at risk over the next decades. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5596. [PMID: 36167835 PMCID: PMC9515147 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33112-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Lassa fever is a severe viral hemorrhagic fever caused by a zoonotic virus that repeatedly spills over to humans from its rodent reservoirs. It is currently not known how climate and land use changes could affect the endemic area of this virus, currently limited to parts of West Africa. By exploring the environmental data associated with virus occurrence using ecological niche modelling, we show how temperature, precipitation and the presence of pastures determine ecological suitability for virus circulation. Based on projections of climate, land use, and population changes, we find 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 ecological conditions that are suitable for Lassa virus circulation may drastically increase by 2070. By analysing geotagged viral genomes using spatially-explicit phylogeography and simulating virus dispersal, 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaëlle Klitting
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Liana E. Kafetzopoulou
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.424065.10000 0001 0701 3136Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wim Thiery
- grid.8767.e0000 0001 2290 8069Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gytis Dudas
- grid.6441.70000 0001 2243 2806Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Evolutionary Ecology group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.20478.390000 0001 2171 9581Vertebrate group, Directorate Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anjali Kotamarthi
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Bram Vrancken
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karthik Gangavarapu
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Mambu Momoh
- grid.442296.f0000 0001 2290 9707Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone, Kenema, Sierra Leone ,grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - John Demby Sandi
- grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Augustine Goba
- grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Foday Alhasan
- grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Donald S. Grant
- grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Kenema, Sierra Leone ,grid.442296.f0000 0001 2290 9707College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Sylvanus Okogbenin
- grid.508091.5Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria ,grid.411357.50000 0000 9018 355XFaculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
| | | | - Robert F. Garry
- grid.265219.b0000 0001 2217 8588Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112 USA ,grid.505518.c0000 0004 5901 1919Zalgen Labs, LCC, Frederick, MD 21703 USA ,grid.475149.aGlobal Virus Network (GVN), Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Allison R. Smither
- grid.265219.b0000 0001 2217 8588Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112 USA
| | - Mark Zeller
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Matthias G. Pauthner
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Michelle McGraw
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Laura D. Hughes
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Integrative, Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Sophie Duraffour
- grid.424065.10000 0001 0701 3136Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany ,grid.452463.2German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Hamburg–Lübeck–Borstel–Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Günther
- grid.424065.10000 0001 0701 3136Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany ,grid.452463.2German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Hamburg–Lübeck–Borstel–Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marc A. Suchard
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Philippe Lemey
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kristian G. Andersen
- grid.214007.00000000122199231Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA ,grid.214007.00000000122199231Scripps Research Translational Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Simon Dellicour
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. .,Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL), Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP160/12 50, av. FD Roosevelt, 1050, Bruxelles, Belgium.
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24
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Nuismer SL, Basinski AJ, Schreiner C, Whitlock A, Remien CH. Reservoir population ecology, viral evolution and the risk of emerging infectious disease. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221080. [PMID: 36100013 PMCID: PMC9470272 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecology and life history of wild animals influences their potential to harbour infectious disease. This observation has motivated studies identifying empirical relationships between traits of wild animals and historical patterns of spillover and emergence into humans. Although these studies have identified compelling broad-scale patterns, they are generally agnostic with respect to underlying mechanisms. Here, we develop mathematical models that couple reservoir population ecology with viral epidemiology and evolution to clarify existing verbal arguments and pinpoint the conditions that favour spillover and emergence. Our results support the idea that average lifespan influences the likelihood of an animal serving as a reservoir for human infectious disease. At the same time, however, our results show that the magnitude of this effect is sensitive to the rate of viral mutation. Our results also demonstrate that viral pathogens causing persistent infections or a transient immune response within the reservoir are more likely to fuel emergence. Genetically explicit stochastic simulations enrich these mathematical results by identifying relationships between the genetic basis of transmission and the risk of spillover and emergence. Together, our results clarify the scope of applicability for existing hypotheses and refine our understanding of emergence risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott L. Nuismer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Andrew J. Basinski
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Courtney Schreiner
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Alexander Whitlock
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Christopher H. Remien
- Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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25
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Raabe V, Mehta AK, Evans JD. Lassa Virus Infection: a Summary for Clinicians. Int J Infect Dis 2022; 119:187-200. [PMID: 35395384 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This summary on Lassa virus (LASV) infection and Lassa fever disease (LF) was developed from a clinical perspective to provide clinicians a condensed, accessible understanding of the current literature. The information provided highlights pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnostics with an emphasis on therapies and vaccines that have demonstrated potential value for use in clinical or research environments. METHODS An integrative literature review was conducted on the clinical and pathological features, vaccines, and treatments for LASV infection, with a focus on recent studies and in vivo evidence from humans and/or non-human primates (NHPs), when available. RESULTS Two antiviral medications with potential benefit for the treatment of LASV infection and one for post-exposure prophylaxis were identified, although a larger number of potential candidates are currently being evaluated. Multiple vaccine platforms are in pre-clinical development for LASV prevention, but data from human clinical trials are not yet available. CONCLUSION We provide succinct summaries of medical countermeasures against LASV to give the busy clinician a rapid reference. Although there are no approved drugs or vaccines for LF, we provide condensed information from a literature review for measures that can be taken when faced with a suspected infection, including investigational treatment options and hospital engineering controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Raabe
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY.
| | | | - Jared D Evans
- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD.
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26
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Iwasaki M. [Molecular basis for the multiplication of negative-strand RNA viruses: basic research and potential applications in vaccine development]. Uirusu 2022; 72:67-78. [PMID: 37899232 DOI: 10.2222/jsv.72.67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Viruses achieve their efficient reproduction by utilizing their limited components (nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins) and host cell machineries. A detailed understanding of virus-virus and virus-host interactions will lead to the elucidation of mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis and the development of novel medical countermeasures. We elucidated the details of several such interactions and their roles in the multiplication of negative-strand RNA viruses, measles virus, and Lassa virus. These discoveries were harnessed to develop a novel genetic approach for the generation of live-attenuated vaccine candidates with a well-defined molecular mechanism of attenuation. This article describes our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Iwasaki
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Diseases, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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27
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Conformational changes in Lassa virus L protein associated with promoter binding and RNA synthesis activity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7018. [PMID: 34857749 PMCID: PMC8639829 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa virus is endemic in West Africa and can cause severe hemorrhagic fever. The viral L protein transcribes and replicates the RNA genome via its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity. Here, we present nine cryo-EM structures of the L protein in the apo-, promoter-bound pre-initiation and active RNA synthesis states. We characterize distinct binding pockets for the conserved 3' and 5' promoter RNAs and show how full-promoter binding induces a distinct pre-initiation conformation. In the apo- and early elongation states, the endonuclease is inhibited by two distinct L protein peptides, whereas in the pre-initiation state it is uninhibited. In the early elongation state, a template-product duplex is bound in the active site cavity together with an incoming non-hydrolysable nucleotide and the full C-terminal region of the L protein, including the putative cap-binding domain, is well-ordered. These data advance our mechanistic understanding of how this flexible and multifunctional molecular machine is activated.
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28
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Wood R, Bangura U, Mariën J, Douno M, Fichet-Calvet E. Detection of Lassa virus in wild rodent feces: Implications for Lassa fever burden within households in the endemic region of Faranah, Guinea. One Health 2021; 13:100317. [PMID: 34522759 PMCID: PMC8424210 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa arenavirus (LASV) is the cause of Lassa Fever in humans in West Africa. The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is a reservoir host of LASV and the primary source of human infections. Humans are assumed to become infected due to contact with this animal or its excretions. Thus far, the available literature does not describe the sampling of feces as a means to detect LASV in M. natalensis populations. More evidence is needed to know if feces of naturally infected M. natalensis can be LASV-positive and an exposure risk to humans. This study sampled feces deposits in households from three villages in the LASV-endemic region of Faranah, Guinea. PCR analysis found 10 out of 88 samples to be positive for LASV, and sequencing showed clustering to previously identified Yarawelia and Dalafilani strains. We conclude that feces sampling is a viable, non-invasive method for the determination and sequencing of LASV strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah Wood
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Umaru Bangura
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Mariën
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Virology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Moussa Douno
- Laboratoire des Fièvres Hémorragiques de Guinée, Centre de Recherche en Virologie, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Conakry, Guinée
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29
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Arruda LB, Haider N, Olayemi A, Simons D, Ehichioya D, Yinka-Ogunleye A, Ansumana R, Thomason MJ, Asogun D, Ihekweazu C, Fichet-Calvet E, Kock RA. The niche of One Health approaches in Lassa fever surveillance and control. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2021; 20:29. [PMID: 33894784 PMCID: PMC8067790 DOI: 10.1186/s12941-021-00431-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa fever (LF), a zoonotic illness, represents a public health burden in West African countries where the Lassa virus (LASV) circulates among rodents. Human exposure hinges significantly on LASV ecology, which is in turn shaped by various parameters such as weather seasonality and even virus and rodent-host genetics. Furthermore, human behaviour, despite playing a key role in the zoonotic nature of the disease, critically affects either the spread or control of human-to-human transmission. Previous estimations on LF burden date from the 80s and it is unclear how the population expansion and the improvement on diagnostics and surveillance methods have affected such predictions. Although recent data have contributed to the awareness of epidemics, the real impact of LF in West African communities will only be possible with the intensification of interdisciplinary efforts in research and public health approaches. This review discusses the causes and consequences of LF from a One Health perspective, and how the application of this concept can improve the surveillance and control of this disease in West Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liã Bárbara Arruda
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Najmul Haider
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
| | - Ayodeji Olayemi
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
| | - David Simons
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
| | - Deborah Ehichioya
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria.,Department of Microbiology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
| | | | - Rashid Ansumana
- School of Community Health Sciences, Njala University, Bo, Sierra Leone
| | - Margaret J Thomason
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Danny Asogun
- Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Richard A Kock
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
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