Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever
The zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV) is naturally maintained in rodents but commonly virulent in humans, killing thousands across West Africa annually. Human cases of Lassa fever surge during the dry season. In a hotspot for this disease, involving seven localities from Edo and Ondo states within Nigeria...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000317 |
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| author | Akinlabi Oyeyiola Adetunji Samuel Adesina Adeoba Obadare Joseph Igbokwe Samuel Ayobami Fasogbon Chukwuyem Abejegah Patience Akhilomen Danny Asogun Ekaete Tobin Olufemi Ayodeji Omolaja Osoniyi Meike Pahlmann Stephan Günther Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet Ayodeji Olayemi |
| author_facet | Akinlabi Oyeyiola Adetunji Samuel Adesina Adeoba Obadare Joseph Igbokwe Samuel Ayobami Fasogbon Chukwuyem Abejegah Patience Akhilomen Danny Asogun Ekaete Tobin Olufemi Ayodeji Omolaja Osoniyi Meike Pahlmann Stephan Günther Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet Ayodeji Olayemi |
| author_sort | Akinlabi Oyeyiola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV) is naturally maintained in rodents but commonly virulent in humans, killing thousands across West Africa annually. Human cases of Lassa fever surge during the dry season. In a hotspot for this disease, involving seven localities from Edo and Ondo states within Nigeria, we sought to depict how fluctuation patterns of LASV prevalence in rodents and levels of rodent infestation culminate in particularly heightened points of potential rodent-to-human transmission. We also explored how this variability may be driven by environmental and demographic factors. We determined active LASV infection by PCR and previous infection using an indirect immunofluorescence assay for IgG antibodies. Six out of the seven localities had active LASV infections, ranging between 3.7% (1/27) and 75.5% (37/49). In Ebudin and Ekpoma, where longitudinal sampling was conducted, prevalence differences were not statistically significant across locality, habitat, season, or year. Conversely, abundance peaked significantly indoors for Mastomys natalensis (the major LASV reservoir) and Praomys daltoni either during the dry or rainy season, depending on whether each of these rodent species occupied Ebudin or Ekpoma. Our results suggest that, since LASV occurrence is usually widespread in its natural reservoir within highly endemic areas, a more immediate component of zoonotic risk to prioritize for control would be the targeting of rodent infestation peaks when they occur inside human habitations. Over our two-year survey, these peaks in abundance were consistent in the months they occurred yearly for M. natalensis and P. daltoni per locality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2db6e7eee63749c98c24ccb5750873c0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2667-114X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-2db6e7eee63749c98c24ccb5750873c02025-08-20T03:21:52ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases2667-114X2025-01-01710027110.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100271Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa feverAkinlabi Oyeyiola0Adetunji Samuel Adesina1Adeoba Obadare2Joseph Igbokwe3Samuel Ayobami Fasogbon4Chukwuyem Abejegah5Patience Akhilomen6Danny Asogun7Ekaete Tobin8Olufemi Ayodeji9Omolaja Osoniyi10Meike Pahlmann11Stephan Günther12Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet13Ayodeji Olayemi14Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, NigeriaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, NigeriaNatural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, NigeriaDepartment of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, NigeriaAmbrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, NigeriaFederal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, NigeriaIrrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, NigeriaIrrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, NigeriaIrrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, NigeriaFederal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, NigeriaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, NigeriaDepartment of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, GermanyDepartment of Virology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, GermanyZoonoses Control Research Group, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, GermanyNatural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; Corresponding author.The zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV) is naturally maintained in rodents but commonly virulent in humans, killing thousands across West Africa annually. Human cases of Lassa fever surge during the dry season. In a hotspot for this disease, involving seven localities from Edo and Ondo states within Nigeria, we sought to depict how fluctuation patterns of LASV prevalence in rodents and levels of rodent infestation culminate in particularly heightened points of potential rodent-to-human transmission. We also explored how this variability may be driven by environmental and demographic factors. We determined active LASV infection by PCR and previous infection using an indirect immunofluorescence assay for IgG antibodies. Six out of the seven localities had active LASV infections, ranging between 3.7% (1/27) and 75.5% (37/49). In Ebudin and Ekpoma, where longitudinal sampling was conducted, prevalence differences were not statistically significant across locality, habitat, season, or year. Conversely, abundance peaked significantly indoors for Mastomys natalensis (the major LASV reservoir) and Praomys daltoni either during the dry or rainy season, depending on whether each of these rodent species occupied Ebudin or Ekpoma. Our results suggest that, since LASV occurrence is usually widespread in its natural reservoir within highly endemic areas, a more immediate component of zoonotic risk to prioritize for control would be the targeting of rodent infestation peaks when they occur inside human habitations. Over our two-year survey, these peaks in abundance were consistent in the months they occurred yearly for M. natalensis and P. daltoni per locality.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000317DemographyHabitatInfestationLassa virusMastomys natalensisSeason |
| spellingShingle | Akinlabi Oyeyiola Adetunji Samuel Adesina Adeoba Obadare Joseph Igbokwe Samuel Ayobami Fasogbon Chukwuyem Abejegah Patience Akhilomen Danny Asogun Ekaete Tobin Olufemi Ayodeji Omolaja Osoniyi Meike Pahlmann Stephan Günther Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet Ayodeji Olayemi Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases Demography Habitat Infestation Lassa virus Mastomys natalensis Season |
| title | Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever |
| title_full | Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever |
| title_fullStr | Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever |
| title_short | Impact of seasonal change on virus-rodent dynamics in Nigeria’s Edo-Ondo hotspot for Lassa fever |
| title_sort | impact of seasonal change on virus rodent dynamics in nigeria s edo ondo hotspot for lassa fever |
| topic | Demography Habitat Infestation Lassa virus Mastomys natalensis Season |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000317 |
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