A multi-site cross-sectional study on the burden of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers in Madagascar.

The prevalence of infections and risk factors that go along with them give insights into the burden of disease and effectiveness of infection prevention and control strategies. In this study we investigated the burden of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated epidemiological factors in three regions of Madagascar among healthcare workers. Between May and June 2021, we conducted a multi-site cross-sectional study among healthcare workers in eight University Hospital Centers, during the local second wave and before the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination campaign in three regional capitals of Madagascar.

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia Species in Ixodid Ticks from Selected Regions of Namibia.

Rickettsial pathogens are among the emerging and re-emerging vector-borne zoonoses of public health importance. Reports indicate human exposure to Rickettsial pathogens in Namibia through serological surveys, but there is a lack of data on infection rates in tick vectors, hindering the assessment of the relative risk to humans. Our study sought to screen Ixodid ticks collected from livestock for the presence of species in order to determine infection rates in ticks and to determine the species circulating in the country.

Serological Evidence of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Livestock in the Omaheke Region of Namibia.

This research examined the positivity ratio of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) antibodies in cattle and sheep within Namibia's Omaheke region after a human disease outbreak in the same geographical area. A total of 200 samples (100 cattle and 100 sheep) were randomly collected from animals brought to two regional auction sites, and then tested using the ID Screen CCHF Double Antigen Multi-Species Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit. Of the cattle samples, 36% tested positive, while 22% of the sheep samples were seropositive.

Impact of climate change on vector- and rodent-borne infectious diseases.

Background: Endemic and imported vector- and rodent-borne infectious agents can be linked to high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, vector- and rodent-borne human diseases and the effects of climate change are important public health issues.

Methods: For this review, the relevant literature was identified and evaluated according to the thematic aspects and supplemented with an analysis of surveillance data for Germany.

Fatal Puumala Hantavirus Infection in a Patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID).

Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infections usually show a mild or moderate clinical course, but may sometimes also lead to life-threatening disease. Here, we report on a 60-year-old female patient with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) who developed a fatal PUUV infection with persistent renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and CNS infection with impaired consciousness and tetraparesis. Hantavirus-specific antibodies could not be detected due to the humoral immunodeficiency.

Cluster of human Puumala orthohantavirus infections due to indoor exposure?-An interdisciplinary outbreak investigation.

Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is the most important hantavirus species in Europe, causing the majority of human hantavirus disease cases. In central and western Europe, the occurrence of human infections is mainly driven by bank vole population dynamics influenced by beech mast. In Germany, hantavirus epidemic years are observed in 2- to 5-year intervals.

Tula Virus as Causative Agent of Hantavirus Disease in Immunocompetent Person, Germany.

We report molecular evidence of Tula virus infection in an immunocompetent patient from Germany who had typical signs of hantavirus disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that Tula virus infection, although often considered nonpathogenic, represents a threat to human health.

Autochthonous Ratborne Seoul Virus Infection in Woman with Acute Kidney Injury.

Outside Asia, Seoul virus (SEOV) is an underestimated pathogen. In Germany, autochthonous SEOV-associated hantavirus disease has not been unequivocally diagnosed. We found clinical and molecular evidence for SEOV infection in a young woman; her pet rat was the source of infection.

Development of a multiplex microsphere immunoassay for the detection of antibodies against highly pathogenic viruses in human and animal serum samples.

Surveillance of highly pathogenic viruses circulating in both human and animal populations is crucial to unveil endemic infections and potential zoonotic reservoirs. Monitoring the burden of disease by serological assay could be used as an early warning system for imminent outbreaks as an increased seroprevalance often precedes larger outbreaks. However, the multitude of highly pathogenic viruses necessitates the need to identify specific antibodies against several targets from both humans as well as from potential reservoir animals such as bats.

Molecular and epidemiological characteristics of human Puumala and Dobrava-Belgrade hantavirus infections, Germany, 2001 to 2017.

IntroductionTwo hantavirus species, Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava-Belgrade (DOBV) virus (genotype Kurkino), are endemic in Germany. Recent PUUV outbreaks raised questions concerning increasing frequency of outbreaks and expansion of PUUV endemic areas.AimsTo describe the epidemiology of human PUUV and DOBV infections in Germany.

Prediction of the Spatial Origin of Puumala Virus Infections Using L Segment Sequences Derived from a Generic Screening PCR.

To screen diagnostic specimens for the presence of hantavirus genomes or to identify new hantaviruses in nature, the pan-hanta L-PCR assay, a broadly reactive nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay targeting the L segment, is highly preferred over other assays because of its universality and high sensitivity. In contrast, the geographic allocation of Puumala virus strains to defined outbreak regions in Germany was previously done based on S segment sequences. We show that the routinely generated partial L segment sequences resulting from the pan-hanta L-PCR assay provide sufficient phylogenetic signal to inform the molecular epidemiology of the Puumala virus.

Ten years of external quality assessment (EQA) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Europe elucidate high reliability of data.

Background: Confidence in any diagnostic and antimicrobial susceptibility testing data is provided by appropriate and regular quality assurance (QA) procedures. In Europe, the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Susceptibility Programme (Euro-GASP) has been monitoring the antimicrobial susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae since 2004. Euro-GASP includes an external quality assessment (EQA) scheme as an essential component for a quality-assured laboratory-based surveillance programme.

Importation of Human Seoul Virus Infection to Germany from Indonesia.

Seoul hantavirus-associated hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome cases are rare outside Asia and have not yet been found in Germany. We report clinical and molecular evidence for a Seoul virus infection in a patient in Germany. The infection was most likely acquired during a stay in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

A novel Coltivirus-related virus isolated from free-tailed bats from Côte d'Ivoire is able to infect human cells in vitro.

Background: Zoonotic transmission events play a major role in the emergence of novel diseases. While such events are virtually impossible to predict, wildlife screening for potential emerging pathogens can be a first step. Driven by recent disease epidemics like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and Ebola, bats have gained special interest as reservoirs of emerging viruses.

Highly diverse and antimicrobial susceptible Escherichia coli display a naïve bacterial population in fruit bats from the Republic of Congo.

Bats are suspected to be a reservoir of several bacterial and viral pathogens relevant to animal and human health, but studies on Escherichia coli in these animals are sparse. We investigated the presence of E. coli in tissue samples (liver, lung and intestines) collected from 50 fruit bats of five different species (Eidolon helvum, Epomops franqueti, Hypsignathus monstrosus, Myonycteris torquata, Rousettus aegyptiacus) of two different areas in the Republic of Congo between 2009 and 2010.

Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Infection Among a Rural Population of Côte d'Ivoire.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a betaherpesvirus that can be pathogenic to humans. In particular, immunocompromised patients can develop life-threatening symptoms. In the present study, HCMV seroprevalence was investigated in a rural population of Western Côte d'Ivoire.

An Extended Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) Scheme for Rapid Direct Typing of Leptospira from Clinical Samples.

Background: Rapid typing of Leptospira is currently impaired by requiring time consuming culture of leptospires. The objective of this study was to develop an assay that provides multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data direct from patient specimens while minimising costs for subsequent sequencing.

Methodology And Findings: An existing PCR based MLST scheme was modified by designing nested primers including anchors for facilitated subsequent sequencing.

Genetic identification of cytomegaloviruses in a rural population of Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) are herpesviruses that infect many mammalian species, including humans. Infection generally passes undetected, but the virus can cause serious disease in individuals with impaired immune function. Human CMV (HCMV) is circulating with high seroprevalence (60-100 %) on all continents.

Adenovirus in Rural Côte D'Ivoire: High Diversity and Cross-Species Detection.

The Taï region in Western Côte d'Ivoire is characterized by extensive overlap of human and animal habitats. This could influence patterns of adenovirus transmission between humans and domestic animals. Fecal samples from humans and various domestic animals were tested for the presence of adenoviruses by PCR.

Investigating the zoonotic origin of the West African Ebola epidemic.

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems from a single zoonotic transmission event to a 2-year-old boy in Meliandou, Guinea. We investigated the zoonotic origins of the epidemic using wildlife surveys, interviews, and molecular analyses of bat and environmental samples. We found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak in larger wildlife.

The ecology of primate retroviruses - an assessment of 12 years of retroviral studies in the Taï national park area, Côte d׳Ivoire.

The existence and genetic make-up of most primate retroviruses was revealed by studies of bushmeat and fecal samples from unhabituated primate communities. For these, detailed data on intra- and within-species contact rates are generally missing, which makes identification of factors influencing transmission a challenging task. Here we present an assessment of 12 years of research on primate retroviruses in the Taï National Park area, Côte d'Ivoire.

High prevalence and diversity of species D adenoviruses (HAdV-D) in human populations of four Sub-Saharan countries.

Background: Human adenoviruses of species D (HAdV-D) can be associated with acute respiratory illness, epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, and gastroenteritis, but subclinical HAdV-D infections with prolonged shedding have also been observed, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. To expand knowledge on HAdV-D in Sub-Saharan Africa, we investigated the prevalence, epidemiology and pathogenic potential of HAdV-D in humans from rural areas of 4 Sub-Saharan countries, Côte d'Ivoire (CI), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda (UG).

Methods: Stool samples were collected from 287 people living in rural regions in CI, DRC, CAR and UG.