Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Aug 6:36:253.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.36.253.22104. eCollection 2020.

Monitoring of Lassa virus infection in suspected and confirmed cases in Ondo State, Nigeria

Olumuyiwa Babalola Salu  1 , Olufemi Samuel Amoo  2 , Joseph Ojonugwa Shaibu  2 , Chukwuyem Abejegah  3 , Oluwafemi Ayodeji  3 , Adesola Zaidat Musa  4 , Ifeoma Idigbe  5 , Oliver Chukwujekwu Ezechi  5 , Rosemary Ajuma Audu  2 , Babatunde Lawal Salako  5 , Sunday Aremu Omilabu  1   2
Affiliations

Monitoring of Lassa virus infection in suspected and confirmed cases in Ondo State, Nigeria

Olumuyiwa Babalola Salu et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: Lassa virus (LASV), the causative agent of Lassa fever (LF), an endemic acute viral haemorrhagic illness in Nigeria, is transmitted by direct contact with the rodent, contaminated food or household items. Person-to-person transmission also occurs and sexual transmission has been reported. Thus, this study investigated the presence of LASV in body fluids of suspected and confirmed cases.

Methods: this was a cross-sectional study between March 2018 and April 2019 involving 112 consenting suspected and post ribavirin confirmed cases attending the Lassa fever treatment center in Ondo State. Whole blood was collected from 57 suspected and 29 confirmed cases. Other samples from confirmed cases were 5 each of High Vaginal Swab (HVS) and seminal fluid; 12 breast milk and 4 urine. All samples were analyzed using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) targeting the S-gene of LASV.

Results: analysis of whole blood by RT-PCR showed that 1/57 (1.8%) suspected and 1/29 (3.4%) confirmed post ribavirin treated cases were positive. While LASV was detected in 2/5 (40%) post ribavirin treated seminal fluids and 1/11 (8.3%) breast milk. However, LASV was not detected in any of the HVS and urine samples.

Conclusion: the detection of LASV in seminal fluid and breast milk of discharged post ribavirin treated cases suggests its persistence in these fluids of recovering Nigerians. The role of postnatal and sexual transmissions in the perennial outbreak of LF needs to be further evaluated.

Keywords: Lassa Virus; Lassa fever; Ondo; reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; transmission.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
map of Ondo State (study area) showing the two eco-climatic zones, local government areas and bordering states
Figure 2
Figure 2
RT-PCR Detection of S-Gene fragment of Lassa virus. The gel lanes represent neat (undiluted, N) and 1: 10 dilutions (D) of the RNA extracts used for RTPCR. Lassa positive samples were represented in lanes S1-S5. RNase/DNase free water was used as negative extraction/RTPCR control (-ve CTRL) while a 2008 outbreak positive sample (GU481078_NIG_08-A47_2008_IRRUA) was used as positive control (+ve CTRL)
Figure 3
Figure 3
RT-PCR detection of dengue virus. The gel lanes represent neat (undiluted, N) and 1: 10 dilutions (D) of the RNA extracts used for RTPCR. Dengue negative samples were represented in lanes S1-S5. RNase/DNase free water was used as negative extraction/RTPCR control (-ve CTRL) while a tissue culture inactivated sample of dengue virus from the virology unit laboratory of the Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Germany was used as positive control (+ve CTRL)
Figure 4
Figure 4
RT-PCR detection of yellow fever virus. The gel lanes represent neat (undiluted, N) and 1:10 dilutions (D) of the RNA extracts used for RTPCR. Yellow fever negative samples were represented in lanes S1-S5. RNase/DNase free water was used as negative extraction/RTPCR control (-ve CTRL) while a tissue culture inactivated sample of 17D yellow fever strain from the virology unit laboratory of the Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Germany was used as positive control (+ve CTRL)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

  • Lassa virus RNA detection from suspected cases in Nigeria, 2011-2017.
    Babalola SO, Babatunde JA, Remilekun OM, Amaobichukwu AR, Abiodun AM, Jide I, Adeshina AI, Chikwe I, Aremu OS. Babalola SO, et al. Pan Afr Med J. 2019 Oct 6;34:76. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2019.34.76.16425. eCollection 2019. Pan Afr Med J. 2019. PMID: 31819792 Free PMC article.
  • Increased Prevalence of Lassa Fever Virus-Positive Rodents and Diversity of Infected Species Found during Human Lassa Fever Epidemics in Nigeria.
    Happi AN, Olumade TJ, Ogunsanya OA, Sijuwola AE, Ogunleye SC, Oguzie JU, Nwofoke C, Ugwu CA, Okoro SJ, Otuh PI, Ngele LN, Ojo OO, Adelabu A, Adeleye RF, Oyejide NE, Njaka CS, Heeney JL, Happi CT. Happi AN, et al. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Aug 31;10(4):e0036622. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00366-22. Epub 2022 Aug 1. Microbiol Spectr. 2022. PMID: 35913205 Free PMC article.
  • Lassa fever in post-conflict sierra leone.
    Shaffer JG, Grant DS, Schieffelin JS, Boisen ML, Goba A, Hartnett JN, Levy DC, Yenni RE, Moses LM, Fullah M, Momoh M, Fonnie M, Fonnie R, Kanneh L, Koroma VJ, Kargbo K, Ottomassathien D, Muncy IJ, Jones AB, Illick MM, Kulakosky PC, Haislip AM, Bishop CM, Elliot DH, Brown BL, Zhu H, Hastie KM, Andersen KG, Gire SK, Tabrizi S, Tariyal R, Stremlau M, Matschiner A, Sampey DB, Spence JS, Cross RW, Geisbert JB, Folarin OA, Happi CT, Pitts KR, Geske FJ, Geisbert TW, Saphire EO, Robinson JE, Wilson RB, Sabeti PC, Henderson LA, Khan SH, Bausch DG, Branco LM, Garry RF; Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium. Shaffer JG, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014 Mar 20;8(3):e2748. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002748. eCollection 2014 Mar. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014. PMID: 24651047 Free PMC article.
  • Current research for a vaccine against Lassa hemorrhagic fever virus.
    Warner BM, Safronetz D, Stein DR. Warner BM, et al. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018 Aug 14;12:2519-2527. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S147276. eCollection 2018. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018. PMID: 30147299 Free PMC article. Review.
  • Vaccine platforms for the prevention of Lassa fever.
    Purushotham J, Lambe T, Gilbert SC. Purushotham J, et al. Immunol Lett. 2019 Nov;215:1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.imlet.2019.03.008. Epub 2019 Apr 23. Immunol Lett. 2019. PMID: 31026485 Free PMC article. Review.
See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Enria DA, Mills JN, Bausch D, Shieh W, Peters CJ. Arenavirus infections. Tropical Infectious Diseases: Principles, Pathogens, and Practice, Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA. 2011;3:449–461.
    1. Bond N, Schieffelin JS, Moses LM, Bennett AJ, Bausch DG. A historical look at the first reported cases of Lassa fever: IgG antibodies 40 years after acute infection. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2013;88(2):241–244. - PMC - PubMed
    1. CDC. Imported Lassa fever--New Jersey, 2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004 Oct 1;53(38):894–897. - PubMed
    1. Lecompte E, Fichet-calvet E, Daffis S, Koulémou K, Sylla O, Kourouma F, et al. Mastomys natalensis and Lassa fever, West Africa. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12(12):1971–4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Olayemi A, Cadar D, Magassouba N, Obadare A, Kourouma F, Oyeyiola A, et al. New hosts of the Lassa virus. Sci Rep. 2016;6(75):25280. - PMC - PubMed