Publications by authors named "Duane J Bush"
Article Synopsis
- * A study conducted in Sierra Leone between November 2018 and July 2019 involved trapping small mammals and using tests to detect Lassa virus (LASV) antigens and antibodies in order to understand the virus's prevalence in the area.
- * Out of 373 rodents tested, 20% were positive for the LASV antigen, while 11% showed the presence of antibodies, indicating that the tools developed could enhance public health efforts in tracking and managing Lassa fever outbreaks.
Article Synopsis
- - The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which began spreading in late 2019, has caused a global pandemic and continues to evolve with various strains, complicating research on severe disease and treatment development.
- - A study tested how different methods of infection influence COVID-19 disease characteristics in two monkey species: rhesus macaques and African green monkeys, revealing that both species showed similar viral loads regardless of the infection route.
- - Findings indicated that infection via mucosal routes led to quicker clinical symptoms compared to aerosol exposure, with both species exhibiting consistent lung damage, thus enhancing understanding of SARS-CoV-2's impact and potential treatments for lung-related complications.
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced lower COVID-19 caseloads and fewer deaths than countries in other regions worldwide. Under-reporting of cases and a younger population could partly account for these differences, but pre-existing immunity to coronaviruses is another potential factor. Blood samples from Sierra Leonean Lassa fever and Ebola survivors and their contacts collected before the first reported COVID-19 cases were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the presence of antibodies binding to proteins of coronaviruses that infect humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLassa fever (LF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease found in Sub-Saharan Africa and is responsible for up to 300,000 cases and 5000 deaths annually. LF is highly endemic in Sierra Leone, particularly in its Eastern Province. Kenema Government Hospital (KGH) maintains one of only a few LF isolation facilities in the world with year-round diagnostic testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLassa virus (LASV) is the causative agent of Lassa fever, an often-fatal hemorrhagic disease that is endemic in West Africa. Seven genetically distinct LASV lineages have been identified. As part of CEPI's (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) Lassa vaccine development program, we assessed the potential of the human immune system to mount cross-reactive and cross-protective humoral immune responses to antigens from the most prevalent LASV lineages, which are lineages II and III in Nigeria and lineage IV in Sierra Leone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLassa virus (LASV) is the causative agent of Lassa fever (LF), an often-fatal hemorrhagic disease. LF is endemic in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and other West African countries. Diagnosis of LASV infection is challenged by the genetic diversity of the virus, which is greatest in Nigeria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLassa fever, a hemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus (LASV), is endemic in West Africa. It is difficult to distinguish febrile illnesses that are common in West Africa from Lassa fever based solely on a patient's clinical presentation. The field performance of recombinant antigen-based Lassa fever immunoassays was compared to that of quantitative polymerase chain assays (qPCRs) using samples from subjects meeting the case definition of Lassa fever presenting to Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone.
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