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Ndumu DB, Bakamutumaho B, Miller E, Nakayima J, Downing R, Balinandi S, Monje F, Tumusiime D, Nanfuka M, Meunier N, Arinaitwe E, Rutebarika C, Kidega E, Kyondo J, Ademun R, Njenga KM, Veas F, Gonzalez JP. Serological evidence of Rift Valley fever virus infection among domestic ruminant herds in Uganda. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17:157. [PMID: 33849526 PMCID: PMC8045185 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-021-02867-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior to the first recorded outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Uganda, in March 2016, earlier studies done until the 1970's indicated the presence of the RVF virus (RVFV) in the country, without any recorded outbreaks in either man or animals. While severe outbreaks of RVF occurred in the neighboring countries, none were reported in Uganda despite forecasts that placed some parts of Uganda at similar risk. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) undertook studies to determine the RVF sero-prevalence in risk prone areas. Three datasets from cattle sheep and goats were obtained; one from retrospective samples collected in 2010-2011 from the northern region; the second from the western region in 2013 while the third was from a cross-sectional survey done in 2016 in the south-western region. Laboratory analysis involved the use of the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA). Data were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses, including non-parametric chi-square tests for comparisons between districts and species in the regions. RESULTS During the Yellow Fever outbreak investigation of 2010-2011 in the northern region, a total sero-prevalence of 6.7% was obtained for anti RVFV reacting antibodies (IgG and IgM) among the domestic ruminant population. The 2013 sero-survey in the western region showed a prevalence of 18.6% in cattle and 2.3% in small ruminants. The 2016 sero-survey in the districts of Kabale, Kanungu, Kasese, Kisoro and Rubirizi, in the south-western region, had the respective district RVF sero-prevalence of 16.0, 2.1, 0.8, 15.1and 2.7% among the domestic ruminants combined for this region; bovines exhibited the highest cumulative sero-prevalence of 15.2%, compared to 5.3 and 4.0% respectively for sheep and goats per species for the region. CONCLUSIONS The absence of apparent outbreaks in Uganda, despite neighboring enzootic areas, having minimal restrictions to the exchange of livestock and their products across borders, suggest an unexpected RVF activity in the study areas that needs to be unraveled. Therefore, more in-depth studies are planned to mitigate the risk of an overt RVF outbreak in humans and animals as has occurred in neighboring countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deo B. Ndumu
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Barnabas Bakamutumaho
- Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO), Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), P. O. Box 49, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | - Jesca Nakayima
- National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLiRRI), Nakyesasa, Uganda
| | - Robert Downing
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – UVRI, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Stephen Balinandi
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – UVRI, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Fred Monje
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Dan Tumusiime
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Mary Nanfuka
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Natascha Meunier
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Royal College Street, London, NW1 0TU UK
| | - Eugene Arinaitwe
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Chris Rutebarika
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Eugene Kidega
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Jackson Kyondo
- Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO), Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), P. O. Box 49, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Rose Ademun
- Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), P. O. Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | - Francisco Veas
- Molecular Comparative Immuno-Physiopathology Lab (LIPMC), Joint Research Unit-Ministry of Defense (UMR-MD), Faculty of Pharmacy, French Research Institute for Development (IRD), Montpellier University, 34093 Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Paul Gonzalez
- Metabiota Inc., San Francisco, USA
- Georgetown University, School of Medicine, 3900 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC, 20007 USA
- Centaurus Biotech LLC., Commonwealth Trading Partners, CTP Inc. Alexandria, Virginia, USA
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Asebe G, Mamo G, Michlmayr D, Abegaz WE, Endale A, Medhin G, Larrick JW, Legesse M. Seroprevalence of Rift Valley Fever and West Nile Fever in Cattle in Gambella Region, South West Ethiopia. VETERINARY MEDICINE (AUCKLAND, N.Z.) 2020; 11:119-130. [PMID: 33244452 PMCID: PMC7683499 DOI: 10.2147/vmrr.s278867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Rift Valley fever (RVF) and West Nile fever (WNF) are re-emerging mosquito-borne zoonotic diseases that cause public health and economic crises. Ethiopia shares borders with South Sudan and Kenya, where these diseases are often documented. The free movement of animals and humans across these borders expects to increase the spread of these diseases. The current study was conducted to assess the occurrence of these diseases in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY We collected a total of 368 cattle serum samples from the Lare district on the border of South Sudan and measured the presence of IgG antibody against RVF and WNF virus infections using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS The prevalence of anti-RVF virus IgG antibody was 7.6% (95% CI: 5.3-10.82%), while that of anti-WNF virus IgG antibody was 5.4% (95% CI: 3.52-8.29%). In this study higher seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to RVF virus infection was observed comparing to the WNF virus in cattle. There was no significant association between the prevalence and the cattle age, sex or sampled locations. CONCLUSION The detection of IgG antibody to RVF and WNF virus infections in the Gambella region warrants further study of active case findings and the dynamics of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Getahun Asebe
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Immunology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gambella University, Gambella, Ethiopia
| | - Gezahegne Mamo
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Immunology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Daniela Michlmayr
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Woldaregay Erku Abegaz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Adugna Endale
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dire Dawa University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
| | - Girmay Medhin
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Mengistu Legesse
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Ngoshe YB, Avenant A, Rostal MK, Karesh WB, Paweska JT, Bagge W, Jansen van Vuren P, Kemp A, Cordel C, Msimang V, Thompson PN. Patterns of Rift Valley fever virus seropositivity in domestic ruminants in central South Africa four years after a large outbreak. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5489. [PMID: 32218486 PMCID: PMC7099094 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62453-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis showing complex epidemiological patterns that are poorly understood in South Africa. Large outbreaks occur in the central interior at long, irregular intervals, most recently in 2010–2011; however, the level of herd immunity of ruminant livestock, a key determinant of outbreaks, is unknown. During 2015–2016 a cross-sectional study on 234 randomly-selected farms investigated the prevalence, patterns of, and factors associated with, antibodies to RVF virus (RVFV) in livestock in an area heavily affected by that outbreak. A RVFV inhibition ELISA was used to screen 977 cattle, 1,549 sheep and 523 goats and information on potential risk factors was collected using a comprehensive questionnaire. The estimated RVFV seroprevalence, adjusted for survey design, was 42.9% in cattle, 28.0% in sheep and 9.3% in goats, showing a high degree of farm-level clustering. Seroprevalence increased with age and was higher on private vs. communal land, on farms with seasonal pans (temporary, shallow wetlands) and perennial rivers and in recently vaccinated animals. Seropositivity amongst unvaccinated animals born after the last outbreak indicates likely viral circulation during the post-epidemic period. The current level of herd immunity in livestock may be insufficient to prevent another large outbreak, should suitable conditions recur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf B Ngoshe
- Epidemiology Section, Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - Alida Avenant
- Epidemiology Section, Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - Melinda K Rostal
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street - 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, USA
| | - William B Karesh
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street - 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, USA
| | - Janusz T Paweska
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Whitney Bagge
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street - 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, USA
| | - Petrus Jansen van Vuren
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Alan Kemp
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Veerle Msimang
- Epidemiology Section, Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.,Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Peter N Thompson
- Epidemiology Section, Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
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