Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Glycoprotein B from a Hyperfusogenic Virus Mediates Enhanced Cell-Cell Fusion.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes significant morbidity and death in humans worldwide. Herpes simplex virus 1 has a complex fusion mechanism that is incompletely understood. The HSV-1 strain ANG has notable fusion and entry activities that distinguish it from wild type.

Membrane fusion activity of herpes simplex virus 1 glycoproteins from a hyperfusogenic virus.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes significant morbidity and death in humans worldwide. Herpes simplex virus 1 has a complex fusion mechanism that is incompletely understood. The HSV-1 strain ANG has notable fusion and entry activities that distinguish it from wild type.

Detection of Neutralizing Antibodies against Zika Virus in Wild Nonhuman Primates in Rwanda.

The range of nonhuman primate (NHP) species involved in Zika virus (ZIKV) sylvatic transmission is not known. We tested 97 NHP archived sera, collected from 2006 to 2016 in Rwandan National Parks, for neutralizing antibodies to ZIKV. Serum from one olive baboon (Papio anubis) was positive for ZIKV antibodies.

Zika Virus Detection with 2013 Serosurvey, Mombasa, Kenya.

Acute Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has not been confirmed in Kenya. In 2018, we used specimens collected in a 2013 dengue serosurvey study in Mombasa to test for ZIKV IgM. We confirmed specific ZIKV IgM positivity in 5 persons.

Detection of dengue virus serotypes 1, 2 and 3 in selected regions of Kenya: 2011-2014.

Background: Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, is associated with illness of varying severity in countries in the tropics and sub tropics. Dengue cases continue to be detected more frequently and its geographic range continues to expand. We report the largest documented laboratory confirmed circulation of dengue virus in parts of Kenya since 1982.

Dengue Outbreak in Mombasa City, Kenya, 2013-2014: Entomologic Investigations.

Dengue outbreaks were first reported in East Africa in the late 1970s to early 1980s including the 1982 outbreak on the Kenyan coast. In 2011, dengue outbreaks occurred in Mandera in northern Kenya and subsequently in Mombasa city along the Kenyan coast in 2013-2014. Following laboratory confirmation of dengue fever cases, an entomologic investigation was conducted to establish the mosquito species, and densities, causing the outbreak.

Ticks and tick-borne viruses from livestock hosts in arid and semiarid regions of the eastern and northeastern parts of Kenya.

Biodiversity and relative abundance of ticks and associated arboviruses in Garissa (northeastern) and Isiolo (eastern) provinces of Kenya were evaluated. Ticks were collected from livestock, identified to species, pooled, and processed for virus isolation. In Garissa, Rhipicephalus pulchellus Gerstacker (57.

Mosquito-borne arbovirus surveillance at selected sites in diverse ecological zones of Kenya; 2007 - 2012.

Background: Increased frequency of arbovirus outbreaks in East Africa necessitated the determination of distribution of risk by entomologic arbovirus surveillance. A systematic vector surveillance programme spanning 5 years and covering 11 sites representing seven of the eight provinces in Kenya and located in diverse ecological zones was carried out.

Methods: Mosquitoes were sampled bi-annually during the wet seasons and screened for arboviruses.

Detection of avian influenza viruses in wild waterbirds in the Rift Valley of Kenya using fecal sampling.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A/H5N1 has been reported in 11 African countries. Migratory waterbirds have the potential of introducing A/H5N1 into east Africa through the Rift Valley of Kenya. We present the results of a wild bird surveillance system for A/H5N1 and other avian influenza viruses based on avian fecal sampling in Kenya.

Ability of selected Kenyan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species to transmit West Nile virus under laboratory conditions.

West Nile virus (WNV) is currently active in Kenya as evidenced by the detection of antibodies in birds bled as part of an avian influenza surveillance program in 2009. Although WNV has been isolated from several mosquito species in Kenya, no studies have ever been conducted to determine which of these species are competent vectors of this virus. Therefore, we allowed Kenyan mosquitoes to feed on 2- or 3-d-old chickens that had been infected with a Lineage one strain of WNV 24-48 h earlier.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Hyalommid ticks, northeastern Kenya.

As part of ongoing arbovirus surveillance, we screened ticks obtained from livestock in northeastern Kenya in 2008 to assess the risk for human exposure to tick-borne viruses. Of 1,144 pools of 8,600 Hyalomma spp. ticks screened for Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever virus by reverse transcription PCR, 23 pools were infected, demonstrating a potential for human exposure.