36 results on '"Aaron S. Mweene"'
Search Results
2. Novel Arenavirus, Zambia
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Akihiro Ishii, Yuka Thomas, Ladslav Moonga, Ichiro Nakamura, Aiko Ohnuma, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Ayato Takada, Aaron S. Mweene, and Hirofumi Sawa
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Arenavirus ,arenavirus infections ,Mastomys natalensis ,Zambia ,Republic of Zambia ,phylogeny ,Medicine ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
To investigate arenavirus in Zambia, we characterized virus from the kidneys of 5 arenavirus RNA–positive rodents (Mastomys natalensis) among 263 captured. Full-genome sequences of the viruses suggested that they were new strains similar to Lassa virus–related arenaviruses. Analyzing samples from additional rodents and other species can elucidate epizootiologic aspects of arenaviruses.
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- 2011
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3. Characterization of mammalian orthoreoviruses isolated from faeces of pigs in Zambia
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Yongjin Qiu, Michihito Sasaki, Mao Isono, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hirofumi Sawa, Hayato Harima, Yasuko Orba, Ayato Takada, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Edgar Simulundu, Kosuke Okuya, Eugene C Bwalya, Masahiro Kajihara, and Aaron S. Mweene
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Swine ,Orthoreovirus, Mammalian ,Reassortment ,Population ,Zambia ,Animals, Wild ,Genome, Viral ,Biology ,Genome ,Host Specificity ,Feces ,Viral Proteins ,Chiroptera ,Virology ,Prevalence ,Animals ,education ,Mammalian orthoreovirus ,Phylogeny ,Recombination, Genetic ,Swine Diseases ,Genetic diversity ,education.field_of_study ,Whole Genome Sequencing ,business.industry ,Reoviridae Infections ,Geographic distribution ,Livestock ,business ,Reassortant Viruses - Abstract
Mammalian orthoreovirus (MRV) has been identified in humans, livestock and wild animals; this wide host range allows individual MRV to transmit into multiple species. Although several interspecies transmission and genetic reassortment events of MRVs among humans, livestock and wildlife have been reported, the genetic diversity and geographic distribution of MRVs in Africa are poorly understood. In this study, we report the first isolation and characterization of MRVs circulating in a pig population in Zambia. In our screening, MRV genomes were detected in 19.7 % (29/147) of faecal samples collected from pigs by reverse transcription PCR. Three infectious MRV strains (MRV-85, MRV-96 and MRV-117) were successfully isolated, and their complete genomes were sequenced. Recombination analyses based on the complete genome sequences of the isolated MRVs demonstrated that MRV-96 shared the S3 segment with a different MRV isolated from bats, and that the L1 and M3 segments of MRV-117 originated from bat and human MRVs, respectively. Our results suggest that the isolated MRVs emerged through genetic reassortment events with interspecies transmission. Given the lack of information regarding MRVs in Africa, further surveillance of MRVs circulating among humans, domestic animals and wildlife is required to assess potential risk for humans and animals.
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- 2020
4. Molecular detection and characterization of genotype 1 bovine leukemia virus from beef cattle in the traditional sector in Zambia
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Herman M. Chambaro, Isaac Silwamba, Mundia M. Phiri, Katendi Changula, Girja S. Pandey, Evans Kaimoyo, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Penjaninge Kapila, Simbarashe Chitanga, John Bwalya Muma, Martin Simuunza, Edgar Simulundu, and Ayato Takada
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Genotype ,animal diseases ,viruses ,Zambia ,Beef cattle ,Disease cluster ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medical microbiology ,immune system diseases ,Virology ,Leukemia Virus, Bovine ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Animals ,Phylogeny ,030304 developmental biology ,Molecular Epidemiology ,0303 health sciences ,Molecular epidemiology ,Bovine leukemia virus ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,030306 microbiology ,virus diseases ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,General Medicine ,Enzootic Bovine Leukosis ,biology.organism_classification ,Cattle ,Nested polymerase chain reaction - Abstract
Whilst bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes considerable economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide, information on its molecular epidemiology and economic impact in beef cattle is limited. Here, blood from 880 animals from Zambia's major cattle-rearing provinces was screened for BLV by nested PCR. Positive pools were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. The estimated pooled prevalence was 2.1%. All strains belonged to genotype 1 and formed a distinct phylogenetic cluster. The study suggests circulation of genotype 1 BLV in beef cattle in these regions. This is the first report on molecular detection and characterization of BLV from beef cattle in Africa.
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- 2019
5. Identification of group A rotaviruses from Zambian fruit bats provides evidence for long-distance dispersal events in Africa
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Katendi Changula, Akina Mori-Kajihara, Yasuko Orba, Hirohito Ogawa, Michihito Sasaki, Martin Simuunza, Reiko Yoshida, Ayato Takada, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Michael J. Carr, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, and Hirofumi Sawa
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Gene Expression Regulation, Viral ,Rotavirus ,0301 basic medicine ,Microbiology (medical) ,Genotype ,030106 microbiology ,Reassortment ,Zambia ,Zoology ,Genome, Viral ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Rotavirus Infections ,Article ,Novel RVA genotypes ,03 medical and health sciences ,Chiroptera ,parasitic diseases ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Antigens, Viral ,Molecular Biology ,Phylogeny ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Genetic diversity ,Phylogenetic analysis ,biology ,Strain (biology) ,African fruit bats ,biology.organism_classification ,Eidolon helvum ,Interspecies transmission ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,Long-distance dispersal ,Africa ,Biological dispersal ,Capsid Proteins ,Rousettus - Abstract
Group A rotavirus (RVA) is a major cause of diarrhea in children worldwide. Although RVA infects many animals, little is known about RVA in bats. The present study investigated the genetic diversity of RVA in Zambian bats. We identified RVA from two straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) and an Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), and analyzed the genome sequences of these strains. Genome segments of the RVA strains from Zambian E. helvum showed 97%–99% nucleotide sequence identity with those of other RVA strains from E. helvum in Cameroon, which is 2800 km from the sampling locations. These findings suggest that migratory straw-colored fruit bat species, distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, have the potential to disseminate RVA across long distances. By contrast, the RVA strain from Zambian R. aegyptiacus carried highly divergent NSP2 and NSP4 genes, leading us to propose novel genotypes N21 and E27, respectively. Notably, this RVA strain also shared the same genotype for VP6 and NSP3 with the RVA strains from Zambian E. helvum, suggesting interspecies transmission and genetic reassortment may have occurred between these two bat species in the past. Our study has important implications for RVA dispersal in bat populations, and expands our knowledge of the ecology, diversity and evolutionary relationships of RVA., Highlights • Detection of group A rotavirus from Zambian fruit bats. • Some viral genes were almost identical to those of rotavirus from Cameroonian bats. • The findings provide evidence for long-distance dispersal events of rotavirus. • First report of novel N21 and E27 genotypes.
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- 2018
6. Discovery of Mwinilunga alphavirus: A novel alphavirus in Culex mosquitoes in Zambia
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Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Takashi Abe, Wallaya Phongphaew, Michael J. Carr, Shiho Torii, Yuki Eshita, Yongjin Qiu, Yoshiki Eto, Yuji Wada, William W. Hall, Akina Mori-Kajihara, Hirofumi Sawa, Hayato Harima, Michihito Sasaki, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Paulina D. Anindita, and Yasuko Orba
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0301 basic medicine ,Cancer Research ,animal structures ,Culex ,viruses ,Zambia ,Genome, Viral ,Alphavirus ,Virus Replication ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Genome ,Host Specificity ,Virus ,Evolution, Molecular ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mosquito ,Virology ,biology.animal ,parasitic diseases ,Animals ,Phylogeny ,Genetics ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Alphavirus Infections ,virus diseases ,Vertebrate ,Febrile illness ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,biology.organism_classification ,Culex quinquefasciatus ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,RNA, Viral - Abstract
Mosquito-borne alphaviruses are disseminated globally and cause febrile illness in humans and animals. Since the prevalence and diversity of alphaviruses has not been previously investigated in Zambia, reverse transcription PCR was employed as a broad-spectrum approach for the detection of alphaviruses in mosquitoes. From 552 mosquito pools, a novel alphavirus, tentatively named Mwinilunga alphavirus (MWAV), was discovered from a single Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito pool. The full genome of MWAV was subsequently determined, and pairwise comparisons demonstrated that MWAV represented a new alphavirus species. Phylogenetic analyses and a linear discriminant analysis based on the dinucleotide ratios in various virus sequences indicated that MWAV is related to a mosquito-specific alphavirus distinct from other known mosquito-borne alphaviruses due to its inability to replicate in vertebrate cell lines. Further analyses of these novel alphaviruses will help to facilitate a greater understanding of the molecular determinants of host range restriction and the evolutionary relationships of alphaviruses.
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- 2018
7. Characterization of field infectious bursal disease viruses in Zambia: evidence of co-circulation of multiple genotypes with predominance of very virulent strains
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Aaron S. Mweene, Racheal Mwenda, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Katendi Changula, Titus Kaira, Alfred S Mangani, Nozyechi Ngulube Chidumayo, Ayato Takada, and Edgar Simulundu
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0301 basic medicine ,animal structures ,Birnaviridae ,Genotype ,Genotyping Techniques ,Zambia ,Virulence ,Disease ,Biology ,Infectious bursal disease virus ,Disease Outbreaks ,Infectious bursal disease ,03 medical and health sciences ,Food Animals ,medicine ,Animals ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Genotyping ,Phylogeny ,Poultry Diseases ,Molecular Epidemiology ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Outbreak ,Birnaviridae Infections ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,030104 developmental biology ,embryonic structures ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Chickens ,Sequence Alignment - Abstract
Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly contagious, immunosuppressive disease of chickens and causes substantial economic losses to the poultry industry globally. This study investigated the genetic characteristics and pathological lesions induced by IBD viruses (IBDVs) that were associated with 60 suspected outbreaks in chickens during 2015-2016 in Lusaka Province, Zambia. Nucleotide sequences of VP2 hypervariable region (VP2-HVR) (n = 38) and part of VP1 (n = 37) of Zambian IBDVs were phylogenetically analysed. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP2-HVR and VP1 revealed that most viruses (n = 31 of each genome segment) clustered with the very virulent (vv) strains. The rest of the viruses clustered with the classical strains, with two of the viruses being closely related to attenuated vaccine isolates. Two of the viruses that belonged to the vv genotype had a unique amino acid (aa) substitution Q324L whereas one virus had two unique changes, N280S and E300A in the VP2-HVR aa sequence. Although Zambian strains with a vv genotype possessed virulence marker aa within VP1 at 145T, 146D and 147N, two viruses showed unique substitutions, with one virus having 147T while the other had 147H. Pathologically, it was noted that only viruses with a vv genotype appeared to be associated with inducing pathological lesions in non-lymphoid organs (proventriculus and gizzard). Whilst documenting for the first time the presence of classical virulent IBDVs, this study demonstrates the involvement of multiple genotypes, with predominance of vvIBDVs in the epidemiology of IBD in Zambia.
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- 2018
8. Molecular detection and characterization of zoonotic Anaplasma species in domestic dogs in Lusaka, Zambia
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Ryo Nakao, Herman M. Chambaro, Simbarashe Chitanga, Pipina A Vlahakis, Katendi Changula, Yongjin Qiu, Ayato Takada, Edgar Simulundu, Martin Simuunza, Masahiro Kajihara, and Aaron S. Mweene
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DNA, Bacterial ,0301 basic medicine ,Anaplasma platys ,Anaplasmosis ,Anaplasma ,animal diseases ,030231 tropical medicine ,Zambia ,Citrate (si)-Synthase ,Microbiology ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,Dogs ,0302 clinical medicine ,Bacterial Proteins ,law ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,parasitic diseases ,Prevalence ,Animals ,Dog Diseases ,Phylogeny ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Molecular identification ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Anaplasma species ,bacterial infections and mycoses ,16S ribosomal RNA ,biology.organism_classification ,Anaplasma phagocytophilum ,Virology ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,Insect Science ,Specific primers ,bacteria ,Parasitology - Abstract
Although tick-borne pathogens, Anaplasma platys and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are recognized as zoonotic agents associated with appreciable morbidity and mortality in dogs and humans worldwide, there is limited information on these infections in many African countries, including Zambia. The purpose of this study was to detect, identify and phylogenetically characterize Anaplasma species from dogs in Chilanga District in Lusaka Province, Zambia. A total of 301 blood samples were collected from apparently healthy and semi-confined dogs. Initial screening by polymerase chain reaction with specific primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Anaplasma species revealed that 9% (27/301) of our samples were positive. Subsequent sequence and phylogenetic analysis of a longer fragment of the 16S rRNA and citrate synthase (gltA) genes of four positive samples showed the presence of A. platys and an Anaplasma species, which was closely related to those detected in dogs in South Africa. This is the first report on molecular identification and characterization of canine-associated zoonotic Anaplasma species in Zambia.
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- 2018
9. Serologic and molecular evidence for circulation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks and cattle in Zambia
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Masahiro Kajihara, Shigeru Morikawa, Aaron S. Mweene, Hirofumi Sawa, George Dautu, Yasuko Orba, Swithine Kabilika, Akina Mori-Kajihara, Yongjin Qiu, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Yoshiki Eto, Kumiko Yoshimatsu, Martin Simuunza, Ngonda Saasa, Victor Mukonka, Jiro Arikawa, Hayato Furumoto, Edgar Simulundu, Ryo Nakao, Masayuki Saijo, Shuetsu Fukushi, Mwaka Monze, and Ayato Takada
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RNA viruses ,Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever ,RC955-962 ,Disease Vectors ,Antibodies, Viral ,Serology ,Geographical Locations ,Ticks ,Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,Bunyaviruses ,Case fatality rate ,Hemorrhagic fever viruses ,Neglected tropical diseases ,Pathology and laboratory medicine ,Phylogeny ,Data Management ,Animal Management ,Mammals ,biology ,Transmission (medicine) ,Zoonosis ,Eukaryota ,Phylogenetic Analysis ,Agriculture ,Ruminants ,Genomics ,Medical microbiology ,Phylogenetics ,Infectious Diseases ,Vertebrates ,Viruses ,Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo ,Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever ,Pathogens ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus ,Research Article ,Medical conditions ,Computer and Information Sciences ,Livestock ,Arthropoda ,Zambia ,Cattle Diseases ,Viral diseases ,Microbiology ,Bovines ,Arachnida ,parasitic diseases ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Evolutionary Systematics ,Serologic Tests ,Taxonomy ,Medicine and health sciences ,Evolutionary Biology ,Genetic diversity ,Ixodes ,Tropical diseases ,Organisms ,Viral pathogens ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Biology and Life Sciences ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Virology ,Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus ,Microbial pathogens ,Species Interactions ,Immunoglobulin G ,People and Places ,Africa ,Amniotes ,Cattle ,Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean ,Hyalomma ,Zoology ,Viral hemorrhagic fevers - Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonosis with a high case fatality rate in humans. Although the disease is widely found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, the distribution and genetic diversity of CCHF virus (CCHFV) are poorly understood in African countries. To assess the risks of CCHF in Zambia, where CCHF has never been reported, epidemiologic studies in cattle and ticks were conducted. Through an indirect immunofluorescence assay, CCHFV nucleoprotein-specific serum IgG was detected in 8.4% (88/1,047) of cattle. Among 290 Hyalomma ticks, the principal vector of CCHFV, the viral genome was detected in 11 ticks. Phylogenetic analyses of the CCHFV S and M genome segments revealed that one of the detected viruses was a genetic reassortant between African and Asian strains. This study provides compelling evidence for the presence of CCHFV in Zambia and its transmission to vertebrate hosts., Author summary Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe viral disease mainly transmitted by ticks. Effective prophylactics and therapeutics have not been established for this disease yet. While CCHF is endemic in Africa, information on the distribution and genetic diversity of CCHF virus (CCHFV) is quite limited in many Sub-Saharan African countries. In this study, we conducted serologic and molecular epidemiologic investigations for CCHFV infection in cattle and ticks in Zambia. Serologic screening revealed that 8.4% of cattle were tested positive for CCHFV-specific IgG. Hyalomma ticks infected with CCHFV were also identified by genetic screening. Phylogenetic analyses showed that one of the CCHFVs detected in Zambia was a genetic reassortant between African and Asian CCHFV strains. Currently, Zambia is considered CCHF-free country because CCHF cases have never been reported. However, the findings in this study indicate that CCHFV is maintained in Hyalomma ticks and occasionally transmitted to vertebrate hosts such as cattle in Zambia. Further epidemiologic studies and continuous monitoring of CCHFV infection should be implemented in the southern African region.
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- 2021
10. Genetic characterization of orf virus associated with an outbreak of severe orf in goats at a farm in Lusaka, Zambia (2015)
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Thoko F Kapalamula, Ayato Takada, James Ngoma, Chrispin Chisanga, Nandi Mtine, Isaac K. Phiri, Edgar Simulundu, Yongjin Qiu, Masahiro Kajihara, Geoffrey Kwenda, Aaron S. Mweene, and Victor Chisha Zulu
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0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Livestock ,040301 veterinary sciences ,viruses ,Disease ,Biology ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Virus ,law.invention ,0403 veterinary science ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medical microbiology ,law ,Zoonoses ,Virology ,Ecthyma, Contagious ,medicine ,Animals ,Gene ,Phylogeny ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Goat Diseases ,Goats ,High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ,Outbreak ,Orf virus ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,030104 developmental biology ,Ecthyma ,DNA, Viral ,Parapoxvirus - Abstract
Orf or contagious ecthyma is a neglected and economically important zoonotic disease caused by a dermatotropic parapoxvirus that commonly affects domestic small ruminants. Although orf is globally distributed, there is a paucity of information on the disease in many African countries. Here, a suspected severe outbreak of orf in goats at a farm in Lusaka was investigated. Orf virus (ORFV) infection was confirmed by PCR amplification of viral DNA (RNA polymerase, B2L and virus interferon-resistance genes) in clinical samples. Some detected genes were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. This is the first report on molecular characterization of ORFV in goats in Zambia.
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- 2017
11. Discovery of African bat polyomaviruses and infrequent recombination in the large T antigen in the Polyomaviridae
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Akihiro Ishii, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Michael J. Carr, Hirofumi Sawa, Kimihito Ito, Aaron S. Mweene, Yasuko Orba, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Michihito Sasaki
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0301 basic medicine ,030106 microbiology ,Sequence Homology ,Zambia ,Genome, Viral ,Old World monkey ,Genome ,03 medical and health sciences ,Monophyly ,Phylogenetics ,Chiroptera ,Virology ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Antigens, Viral, Tumor ,Clade ,Phylogeny ,Recombination, Genetic ,Polyomavirus Infections ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,biology.organism_classification ,Polyomaviridae ,030104 developmental biology ,Polyomavirus ,Rousettus - Abstract
Bat species represent natural reservoirs for a number of high-consequence human pathogens. The present study investigated the diversity of polyomaviruses (PyVs) in Zambian insectivorous and fruit bat species. We describe the complete genomes from four newly proposed African bat PyV species employing the recently recommended criteria provided by the Polyomaviridae Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. A comprehensive phylogenetic and recombination analysis was performed to determine genetic relationships and the distribution of recombination events in PyV from mammalian and avian species. The novel species of PyV from Zambian bats segregated with members of the genera Alphapolyomavirus and Betapolyomavirus, forming monophyletic clades with bat and non-human primate PyVs. Miniopterus schreibersii polyomavirus 1 and 2 segregated in a clade with South American bat PyV species, Old World monkey and chimpanzee PyVs and Human polyomavirus 13 (New Jersey PyV). Interestingly, the newly described Egyptian fruit bat PyV, tentatively named Rousettus aegyptiacus polyomavirus 1, had the highest nucleotide sequence identity to species of PyV from Indonesian fruit bats, and Rhinolophus hildebrandtii polyomavirus 1 was most closely related to New World monkey PyVs. The distribution of recombination events in PyV genomes was non-random: recombination boundaries existed in the intergene region between VP1 and LTAg and also at the 3' end of VP2/3 in the structural genes, whereas infrequent recombination was present within the LTAg gene. These findings indicate that recombination within the LTAg gene has been negatively selected against during polyomaviral evolution and support the recent proposal for taxonomic classification based on LTAg to define novel PyV species.
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- 2017
12. Co-circulation of multiple genotypes of African swine fever viruses among domestic pigs in Zambia (2013-2015)
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Joseph Ndebe, Paul Fandamu, Hirohito Ogawa, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Martin Simuunza, K. L. Samui, Yona Sinkala, Liywalii Mataa, C. Simuntala, A. Mori, Girja S. Pandey, Caesar H. Lubaba, Gerald Misinzo, George Dautu, Herman M. Chambaro, Ayato Takada, and Edgar Simulundu
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0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,Genes, Viral ,Genotype ,Swine ,Sus scrofa ,Population ,Zambia ,Biology ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Disease Outbreaks ,Viral Proteins ,03 medical and health sciences ,Asfarviridae ,Animals ,Genetic variability ,African Swine Fever ,education ,Phylogeny ,education.field_of_study ,General Veterinary ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,business.industry ,Outbreak ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,African Swine Fever Virus ,Domestic pig ,030104 developmental biology ,DNA, Viral ,Livestock ,Sylvatic cycle ,business - Abstract
During 2013-2015, several and severe outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) affected domestic pigs in six provinces of Zambia. Genetic characterization of ASF viruses (ASFVs) using standardized genotyping procedures revealed that genotypes I, II and XIV were associated with these outbreaks. Molecular and epidemiological data suggest that genotype II ASFV (Georgia 2007/1-like) detected in Northern Province of Zambia may have been introduced from neighbouring Tanzania. Also, a genotype II virus detected in Eastern Province of Zambia showed a p54 phylogenetic relationship that was inconsistent with that of p72, underscoring the genetic variability of ASFVs. While it appears genotype II viruses detected in Zambia arose from a domestic pig cycle, genotypes I and XIV possibly emerged from a sylvatic cycle. Overall, this study demonstrates the co-circulation of multiple genotypes of ASFVs, involvement of both the sylvatic and domestic pig cycle in ASF outbreaks in Zambia and possible trans-boundary spread of the disease in south-eastern Africa. Indeed, while there is need for regional or international concerted efforts in the control of ASF, understanding pig marketing practices, pig population dynamics, pig housing and rearing systems and community engagement will be important considerations when designing future prevention and control strategies of this disease in Zambia.
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- 2017
13. Isolation of a simian immunodeficiency virus from a malbrouck (Chlorocebus cynosuros)
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Hirofumi Sawa, Gabriel Gonzalez, Akira Kawaguchi, Kimihito Ito, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, David Wang, Yasuko Orba, Michael J. Carr, Aaron S. Mweene, Guoyan Zhao, Akihiro Ishii, Yuka Thomas, and Michihito Sasaki
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CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,0301 basic medicine ,viruses ,animal diseases ,030106 microbiology ,Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ,Zambia ,Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ,medicine.disease_cause ,DNA sequencing ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cercopithecinae ,Chlorocebus cynosuros ,Virology ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Vervet monkey ,Phylogeny ,Malbrouck ,Whole genome sequencing ,next generation sequencing ,virus discovery ,biology ,Chlorocebus ,Nucleic acid sequence ,Simian immunodeficiency virus ,virus diseases ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,Coculture Techniques ,African green monkey ,030104 developmental biology ,malbrouck ,SIV ,RNA, Viral ,African Green Monkey ,Spleen ,Papio - Abstract
To investigate the diversity of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) among nonhuman primates (NHPs) in Zambia, next-generation sequencing was performed to determine the complete genome sequence of a novel SIV recovered by co-culturing African green monkey (AGM) peripheral blood lymphocytes with human CD4(+) T-cell lines. We report the first described SIV (SIVagmMAL-ZMB) from a malbrouck (Chlorocebus cynosuros). SIVagmMAL-ZMB was detected by real-time PCR analysis of splenic RNA in 3.2% (3/94) of AGMs and was undetectable in baboons (0/105). SIVagmMAL-ZMB possessed < 80% nucleotide sequence identity to known SIV isolates and was located basally to vervet monkey SIV strains in all phylogenies.
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- 2016
14. Publisher Correction: Discovery and genetic characterization of diverse smacoviruses in Zambian non-human primates
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Wallaya Phongphaew, Paulina D. Anindita, Michihito Sasaki, Aaron S. Mweene, Gabriel Gonzalez, Kimihito Ito, Yasuko Orba, Hirofumi Sawa, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, and Michael J. Carr
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Multidisciplinary ,lcsh:R ,DNA Viruses ,Zambia ,lcsh:Medicine ,Genome, Viral ,Haplorhini ,Computational biology ,Biology ,Publisher Correction ,Characterization (materials science) ,Open Reading Frames ,Viral Proteins ,ComputingMethodologies_DOCUMENTANDTEXTPROCESSING ,Animals ,Non-human ,lcsh:Q ,lcsh:Science ,Phylogeny - Abstract
The Smacoviridae has recently been classified as a family of small circular single-stranded DNA viruses. An increasing number of smacovirus genomes have been identified exclusively in faecal matter of various vertebrate species and from insect body parts. However, the genetic diversity and host range of smacoviruses remains to be fully elucidated. Herein, we report the genetic characterization of eleven circular replication-associated protein (Rep) encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA viruses detected in the faeces of Zambian non-human primates. Based on pairwise genome-wide and amino acid identities with reference smacovirus species, ten of the identified CRESS DNA viruses are assigned to the genera Porprismacovirus and Huchismacovirus of the family Smacoviridae, which bidirectionally encode two major open reading frames (ORFs): Rep and capsid protein (CP) characteristic of a type IV genome organization. The remaining unclassified CRESS DNA virus was related to smacoviruses but possessed a genome harbouring a unidirectionally oriented CP and Rep, assigned as a type V genome organization. Moreover, phylogenetic and recombination analyses provided evidence for recombination events encompassing the 3'-end of the Rep ORF in the unclassified CRESS DNA virus. Our findings increase the knowledge of the known genetic diversity of smacoviruses and highlight African non-human primates as carrier animals.
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- 2019
15. First molecular detection and genetic characterization of Coxiella burnetii in Zambian dogs and rodents
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Ryo Nakao, Ayato Takada, Simbarashe Chitanga, Yongjin Qiu, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Edgar Simulundu, Martin Simuunza, Samson Mukaratirwa, Michelo Syakalima, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, and Katendi Changula
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0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,030231 tropical medicine ,030106 microbiology ,Zambia ,Rodentia ,Q fever ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Rodents ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,Dogs ,0302 clinical medicine ,law ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,Zoonoses ,Molecular genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,Letter to the Editor ,Phylogeny ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Goat Diseases ,Phylogenetic analysis ,biology ,business.industry ,Transmission (medicine) ,Goats ,Outbreak ,medicine.disease ,Coxiella burnetii ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,Infectious Diseases ,Domestic dogs ,Parasitology ,Animals, Domestic ,Livestock ,Q Fever ,business - Abstract
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a zoonotic pathogen associated with sylvatic or domestic transmission cycles, with rodents being suspected to link the two transmission cycles. Infection and subsequent disease in humans has historically been associated with contact with infected livestock, especially sheep. However, recently there have been reports of Q fever outbreaks associated with contact with infected rodents and dogs. Studies exploring the potential role of these animal hosts in the epidemiology of Q fever in many developing countries in Africa are very limited. This study aimed to determine the potential role of rodents and dogs in the epidemiological cycle of C. burnetti in Zambia. Using pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene, C. burnetii was detected for the first time in 45% of rodents (9/20), in one shrew and in 10% of domestic dogs (15/150) screened in Zambia. Phylogenetic characterization of six samples based on the isocitrate synthase gene revealed that the strains were similar to a group of isolates from chronic human Q fever patients, goats and rodents reported in multiple continents. Considering the close proximity of domestic dogs and rodents to humans, especially in resource-limited communities, the presence of C. burnetii in these animals could be of significant public health importance. It is thus important to determine the burden of Q fever in humans in such resource-limited communities where there is close contact between humans, rodents and dogs.
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- 2018
16. Characterization of a Novel Bat Adenovirus Isolated from Straw-Colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum)
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Hirofumi Sawa, Naganori Nao, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, David Squarre, Daisuke Fujikura, Ayato Takada, Hirohito Ogawa, Masao Yamada, Asako Shigeno, Hideaki Higashi, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, and Alisheke Mutemwa
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0301 basic medicine ,Serotype ,Virus Cultivation ,lcsh:QR1-502 ,Sequence Homology ,Zambia ,bat ,DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ,Genome, Viral ,Virus ,Article ,lcsh:Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mastadenovirus ,Open Reading Frames ,adenovirus ,Eidolon helvum ,Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral ,Phylogenetics ,Virology ,Chiroptera ,Chlorocebus aethiops ,Animals ,Serotyping ,Vero Cells ,Tropism ,Phylogeny ,Base Composition ,biology ,Whole Genome Sequencing ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biology.organism_classification ,Microscopy, Electron ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,Vero cell ,Spleen - Abstract
Bats are important reservoirs for emerging zoonotic viruses. For extensive surveys of potential pathogens in straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) in Zambia, a total of 107 spleen samples of E. helvum in 2006 were inoculated onto Vero E6 cells. The cell culture inoculated with one of the samples (ZFB06-106) exhibited remarkable cytopathic changes. Based on the ultrastructural property in negative staining and cross-reactivity in immunofluorescence assays, the virus was suspected to be an adenovirus, and tentatively named E. helvum adenovirus 06-106 (EhAdV 06-106). Analysis of the full-length genome of 30,134 bp, determined by next-generation sequencing, showed the presence of 28 open reading frames. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that EhAdV 06-106 represented a novel bat adenovirus species in the genus Mastadenovirus. The virus shared similar characteristics of low G + C contents with recently isolated members of species Bat mastadenoviruses E, F and G, from which EhAdV 06-106 diverged by more than 15% based on the distance matrix analysis of DNA polymerase amino acid sequences. According to the taxonomic criteria, we propose the tentative new species name “Bat mastadenovirus H”. Because EhAdV 06-106 exhibited a wide in vitro cell tropism, the virus might have a potential risk as an emerging virus through cross-species transmission.
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- 2017
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17. Distinct Lineages of Bufavirus in Wild Shrews and Nonhuman Primates
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Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Kimihito Ito, Akihiro Ishii, Yasuko Orba, Paulina D. Anindita, Hirofumi Sawa, Aaron S. Mweene, Michihito Sasaki, and Keisuke Ueno
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Microbiology (medical) ,Papio cynocephalus ,food.ingredient ,Epidemiology ,wildlife ,nonhuman primates ,viruses ,Parvoviridae Infections ,Zoology ,Zambia ,lcsh:Medicine ,Protoparvovirus ,phylogeny ,Genome ,molecular epidemiology ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases ,Parvovirus ,Papio ursinus ,food ,Phylogenetics ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,humans ,Genetic diversity ,Molecular epidemiology ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Shrews ,lcsh:R ,Dispatch ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biology.organism_classification ,animals ,Distinct Lineages of Bufavirus in Wild Shrews and Nonhuman Primates ,Infectious Diseases ,Evolutionary biology - Abstract
Viral metagenomic analysis identified a new parvovirus genome in the intestinal contents of wild shrews in Zambia. Related viruses were detected in spleen tissues from wild shrews and nonhuman primates. Phylogenetic analyses showed that these viruses are related to human bufaviruses, highlighting the presence and genetic diversity of bufaviruses in wildlife.
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- 2015
18. Comprehensive Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Phleboviruses Leads to the Retrospective Identification of Taxonomically Unassigned Bunyaviruses and the Discovery of a Novel Member of the Genus Phlebovirus
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Ayato Takada, Brandi N. Williamson, Keita Matsuno, Hideki Ebihara, Colette Jolynn Matysiak, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Robert B. Tesh, Carla Weisend, and Martin Simuunza
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Phlebovirus ,Orthobunyavirus ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Immunology ,Genome, Viral ,Tick ,Microbiology ,Genome ,Virus ,Ticks ,Phylogenetics ,Virology ,medicine ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Phylogeny ,DNA Primers ,Genetics ,biology ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Heartland virus ,Genetic Diversity and Evolution ,Evolutionary biology ,Insect Science ,RNA, Viral ,Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus - Abstract
Until the recent emergence of two human-pathogenic tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs) (severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus [SFTSV] and Heartland virus), TBPVs have been neglected as causative agents of human disease. In particular, no studies have addressed the global distribution of TBPVs, and consequently, our understanding of the mechanism(s) underlying their evolution and emergence remains poor. In order to provide a useful tool for the ecological and epidemiological study of TBPVs, we have established a simple system that can detect all known TBPVs, based on conventional reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) with degenerate primer sets targeting conserved regions of the viral L genome segment. Using this system, we have determined that several viruses that had been isolated from ticks decades ago but had not been taxonomically identified are novel TBPVs. Full-genome sequencing of these viruses revealed a novel fourth TBPV cluster distinct from the three known TBPV clusters (i.e., the SFTS, Bhanja, and Uukuniemi groups) and from the mosquito/sandfly-borne phleboviruses. Furthermore, by using tick samples collected in Zambia, we confirmed that our system had enough sensitivity to detect a new TBPV in a single tick homogenate. This virus, tentatively designated Shibuyunji virus after the region of tick collection, grouped into a novel fourth TBPV cluster. These results indicate that our system can be used as a first-line screening approach for TBPVs and that this kind of work will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of additional novel tick viruses and will expand our knowledge of the evolution and epidemiology of TBPVs. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs) have been largely neglected until the recent emergence of two virulent viruses, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and Heartland virus. Little is known about the global distribution of TBPVs or how these viruses evolved and emerged. A major hurdle to study the distribution of TBPVs is the lack of tools to detect these genetically divergent phleboviruses. In order to address this issue, we have developed a simple, rapid, and cheap RT-PCR system that can detect all known TBPVs and which led to the identification of several novel phleboviruses from previously uncharacterized tick-associated virus isolates. Our system can detect virus in a single tick sample and novel TBPVs that are genetically distinct from any of the known TBPVs. These results indicate that our system will be a useful tool for the surveillance of TBPVs and will facilitate understanding of the ecology of TBPVs.
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- 2015
19. Identification of the same polyomavirus species in different African horseshoe bat species is indicative of short-range host-switching events
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Hirofumi Sawa, Yasuko Orba, William W. Hall, Gabriel Gonzalez, Michihito Sasaki, Akihiro Ishii, Aaron S. Mweene, Serena E. Dool, Emma C. Teeling, Kimihito Ito, Michael J. Carr, and Bernard M. Hang’ombe
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0301 basic medicine ,Rhinolophus ,Range (biology) ,Zoology ,Sequence Homology ,Horseshoe bat ,Host Specificity ,Evolution, Molecular ,03 medical and health sciences ,Phylogenetics ,Genus ,Virology ,Chiroptera ,Animals ,Antigens, Viral, Tumor ,Phylogeny ,Polyomavirus Infections ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Species diversity ,Genetic Variation ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,biology.organism_classification ,Tumor Virus Infections ,030104 developmental biology ,Africa ,Rhinolophus blasii ,Polyomavirus - Abstract
Polyomaviruses (PyVs) are considered to be highly host-specific in different mammalian species, with no well-supported evidence for host-switching events. We examined the species diversity and host specificity of PyVs in horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus spp.), a broadly distributed and highly speciose mammalian genus. We annotated six PyV genomes, comprising four new PyV species, based on pairwise identity within the large T antigen (LTAg) coding region. Phylogenetic comparisons revealed two instances of highly related PyV species, one in each of the Alphapolyomavirus and Betapolyomavirus genera, present in different horseshoe bat host species (Rhinolophus blasii and R. simulator), suggestive of short-range host-switching events. The two pairs of Rhinolophus PyVs in different horseshoe bat host species were 99.9 and 88.8 % identical with each other over their respective LTAg coding sequences and thus constitute the same virus species. To corroborate the species identification of the bat hosts, we analysed mitochondrial cytb and a large nuclear intron dataset derived from six independent and neutrally evolving loci for bat taxa of interest. Bayesian estimates of the ages of the most recent common ancestors suggested that the near-identical and more distantly related PyV species diverged approximately 9.1E4 (5E3-2.8E5) and 9.9E6 (4E6-18E6) years before the present, respectively, in contrast to the divergence times of the bat host species: 12.4E6 (10.4E6-15.4E6). Our findings provide evidence that short-range host-switching of PyVs is possible in horseshoe bats, suggesting that PyV transmission between closely related mammalian species can occur.
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- 2017
20. Genetic characterisation of African swine fever virus from 2017 outbreaks in Zambia: Identification of p72 genotype II variants in domestic pigs
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Frank Banda, Andrew Chinyemba, Chitwambi Makungu, Lynnfield E. Mooya, Aaron S. Mweene, Yona Sinkala, Herman M. Chambaro, Gift Munthali, Ayato Takada, Simbarashe Chitanga, Paul Fandamu, Edgar Simulundu, and Joseph Ndebe
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0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,Genotype ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Swine ,Sus scrofa ,Zambia ,Biology ,Genetic analysis ,African swine fever virus ,molecular epidemiology ,Virus ,Disease Outbreaks ,0403 veterinary science ,03 medical and health sciences ,Research Communication ,Genetic variation ,domestic pigs ,Animals ,African Swine Fever ,Genotyping ,Phylogeny ,lcsh:Veterinary medicine ,General Veterinary ,Molecular epidemiology ,Outbreak ,Genetic Variation ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biology.organism_classification ,African Swine Fever Virus ,030104 developmental biology ,genotyping ,lcsh:SF600-1100 - Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious haemorrhagic disease associated with causing heavy economic losses to the swine industry in many African countries. In 2017, Zambia experienced ASF outbreaks in Mbala District (Northern province) and for the first time in Isoka and Chinsali districts (Muchinga province). Meanwhile, another outbreak was observed in Chipata District (Eastern province). Genetic analysis of part of the B646L gene, E183L gene, CP204L gene and the central variable region of the B602L gene of ASF virus (ASFV) associated with the outbreaks in Mbala and Chipata districts was conducted. The results revealed that the ASFV detected in Mbala District was highly similar to that of the Georgia 2007/1 isolate across all the genome regions analysed. In contrast, while showing close relationship with the Georgia 2007/1 virus in the B646L gene, the ASFV detected in Chipata District showed remarkable genetic variation in the rest of the genes analysed. These results suggest that the Georgia 2007/1-like virus could be more diverse than what was previously thought, underscoring the need of continued surveillance and monitoring of ASFVs within the south-eastern African region to better understand their epidemiology and the relationships between outbreaks and their possible origin.
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- 2017
21. Molecular Epidemiology of Paramyxoviruses in Frugivorous Eidolon helvum Bats in Zambia
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Emiko Nakagawa, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Yuka Thomas, Hirofumi Sawa, Ayato Takada, Yasuko Orba, Akihiro Ishii, Boniface Namangala, Hirohito Ogawa, Takashi Kimura, Michihito Sasaki, Walter Muleya, and Aaron S. Mweene
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animal structures ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Paramyxoviridae Infections ,Zambia ,Zoology ,virus ,Virus ,Frugivore ,Species Specificity ,Phylogenetics ,Chiroptera ,Virology ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Paramyxovirinae ,Phylogeny ,Demography ,Base Sequence ,General Veterinary ,Phylogenetic tree ,biology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,paramyxoviruses ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Note ,biology.organism_classification ,Eidolon helvum ,RNA, Viral ,epidemiology ,bat viruses - Abstract
In this study, we describe the detection of novel paramyxoviruses from the Eidolon helvum species of fruit bats. We extracted RNA from 312 spleen samples from bats captured in Zambia over a period of 4 years (2008–2011). Semi-nested RT-PCR detected a total of 25 (8%) positive samples for paramyxoviruses which were then directly sequenced and analyzed using phylogenetic analysis. Among the positive samples, seven novel paramyxoviruses were detected. Five viruses were closely related to the genus Henipavirus, while two viruses were related to the unclassified Bat paramyxoviruses from Ghana and Congo Brazzaville. Our study identified novel Henipavirus-related and unrelated viruses using RT-PCR in fruit bats from Kansaka National Park and indicated the presence of similar Bat paramyxoviruses originating from wide geographic areas, suggesting the ability of bats to harbor and transmit viruses. The presence of these viruses in fruit bats might pose a public health risk.
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- 2014
22. Identification of a novel polyomavirus from vervet monkeys in Zambia
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Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Akihiro Ishii, Shintaro Kobayashi, Ichiro Nakamura, Hirohito Ogawa, Hirofumi Sawa, Takashi Kimura, Aaron S. Mweene, Yuka Thomas, Ladslav Moonga, Yasuko Orba, and Hiroki Yamaguchi
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viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,Genome, Viral ,Kidney ,Genome ,Virus ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Virology ,Chlorocebus aethiops ,Animals ,Humans ,Vervet monkey ,ORFS ,Phylogeny ,Polyomavirus Infections ,Base Sequence ,biology ,Inverse polymerase chain reaction ,Primate Diseases ,Nucleic acid sequence ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,biology.organism_classification ,HEK293 Cells ,chemistry ,African Green Monkey ,Polyomavirus ,Spleen ,DNA - Abstract
To examine polyomavirus (PyV) infection in wildlife, we investigated the presence of PyVs in Zambia with permission from the Zambia Wildlife Authority. We analysed 200 DNA samples from the spleens and kidneys (n = 100 each) of yellow baboons and vervet monkeys (VMs) (n = 50 each). We detected seven PyV genome fragments in 200 DNA samples using a nested broad-spectrum PCR method, and identified five full-length viral genomes using an inverse PCR method. Phylogenetic analysis of virally encoded proteins revealed that four PyVs were closely related to either African green monkey PyV or simian agent 12. Only one virus detected from a VM spleen was found to be related, with relatively low nucleotide sequence identity (74 %), to the chimpanzee PyV, which shares 48 % nucleotide sequence identity with the human Merkel cell PyV identified from Merkel cell carcinoma. The obtained entire genome of this virus was 5157 bp and had large T- and small t-antigens, and VP1 and VP2 ORFs. This virus was tentatively named vervet monkey PyV 1 (VmPyV1) as a novel PyV. Comparison with other PyVs revealed that VmPyV1, like chimpanzee PyV, had a longer VP1 ORF. To examine whether the VmPyV1 genome could produce viral proteins in cultured cells, the whole genome was transfected into HEK293T cells. We detected VP1 protein expression in the transfected HEK293T cells by immunocytochemical and immunoblot analyses. Thus, we identified a novel PyV genome from VM spleen.
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- 2013
23. Cross-Reactivity of Secondary Antibodies against African Rodents and Application for Sero-Surveillance
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Ichiro Nakamura, Chihiro Sugimoto, Shintaro Kobayashi, Akihiro Ishii, Rie Isozumi, Ayato Takada, Kumiko Yoshimatsu, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Yuka Thomas, Aaron S. Mweene, Yasuko Orba, Jiro Arikawa, and Hirofumi Sawa
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Rodent ,Population ,Zambia ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Rodentia ,Biology ,Antibodies, Viral ,Immunoglobulin G ,Serology ,Rodent Diseases ,Species Specificity ,biology.animal ,Animals ,Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ,education ,Phylogeny ,Hantavirus ,education.field_of_study ,General Veterinary ,Murinae ,biology.organism_classification ,Antibodies, Bacterial ,Virology ,Primary and secondary antibodies ,biology.protein ,Hantavirus Infection - Abstract
A total of 466 rodents were captured in the Republic of Zambia from 2006 to 2010. Based on morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial gene sequences, rodents were divided into 10 groups consisting of 39 Rattus rodents, 263 multimammate rats, 18 other Murinae rodents, 95 gerbils, 11 pouched mice, 1 giant-pouched rat, 38 fat mice and 1 dormouse. Rodent antibodies except that from Rattus were examined for their cross-reactivity to commercially available antibody detection reagents. Anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) was most cross-reactive to heterologous antibodies including multimammate rat, gerbil, pouched mouse and fat mouse. Thus, anti-mouse IgG would be a useful detection tool in serological examination of the Zambian rodent population. Preliminary sero-surveillance for plague, leptospirosis and hantavirus infection was performed by ELISA.
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- 2013
24. Clinical and subclinical bovine leukemia virus infection in a dairy cattle herd in Zambia
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Alfred S Mangani, Racheal Mwenda, K. L. Samui, Satoru Konnai, Edgar Simulundu, Masahiro Kajihara, Aaron S. Mweene, Ayato Takada, Girja S. Pandey, Danstan Mwiinga, and Joseph Ndebe
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0301 basic medicine ,Male ,Genotype ,viruses ,animal diseases ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,Leucosis ,03 medical and health sciences ,Viral Proteins ,immune system diseases ,Virology ,Leukemia Virus, Bovine ,Animals ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Dairy cattle ,Phylogeny ,Subclinical infection ,Bovine leukemia virus ,biology ,virus diseases ,General Medicine ,Enzootic Bovine Leukosis ,biology.organism_classification ,030104 developmental biology ,Herd ,Enzootic ,Cattle ,Female ,Sequence Alignment - Abstract
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) and is responsible for substantial economic losses in cattle globally. However, information in Africa on the disease is limited. Here, based on clinical, hematological, pathological and molecular analyses, two clinical cases of EBL were confirmed in a dairy cattle herd in Zambia. In contrast, proviral DNA was detected by PCR in five apparently healthy cows from the same herd, suggesting subclinical BLV infection. Phylogenetic analysis of the env gene showed that the identified BLV clustered with Eurasian genotype 4 strains. This is the first report of confirmed EBL in Zambia.
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- 2016
25. Multi-reassortant G3P[3] group A rotavirus in a horseshoe bat in Zambia
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Yasuko Orba, Akihiro Ishii, Aaron S. Mweene, Hirofumi Sawa, Gabriel Gonzalez, Satoko Sasaki, Kimihito Ito, Michihito Sasaki, and Bernard M. Hang’ombe
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0301 basic medicine ,Rotavirus ,Genotype ,viruses ,030106 microbiology ,Reassortment ,Zambia ,Genome, Viral ,medicine.disease_cause ,Horseshoe bat ,Genome ,Group A ,Virus ,Rotavirus Infections ,03 medical and health sciences ,Viral Proteins ,fluids and secretions ,Virology ,Chiroptera ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Phylogeny ,Whole genome sequencing ,biology ,virus diseases ,biology.organism_classification ,030104 developmental biology ,Reassortant Viruses - Abstract
Group A rotavirus is a major cause of diarrhoea in humans, especially in young children. Bats also harbour group A rotaviruses, but the genetic backgrounds of bat rotavirus strains are usually distinct from those of human rotavirus strains. We identified a new strain of group A rotavirus in the intestinal contents of a horseshoe bat in Zambia. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the identified virus, named RVA/Bat-wt/ZMB/LUS12-14/2012/G3P[3], possessed the genotype constellation G3-P[3]-I3-R2-C2-M3-A9-N2-T3-E2-H3. Several genome segments of LUS12-14 were highly similar to those of group A rotaviruses identified from humans, cows and antelopes, indicating interspecies transmission of rotaviruses between bats and other mammals with possible multiple genomic reassortment events.
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- 2016
26. Diagnosis and genotyping of African swine fever viruses from 2015 outbreaks in Zambia
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Liywalii Mataa, Edgar Simulundu, Gerald Misinzo, Girja S. Pandey, Jonas Thoromo, Caesar H. Lubaba, Aaron S. Mweene, Ayato Takada, and Herman M. Chambaro
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0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,Genotype ,Swine ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Biosecurity ,Zambia ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,African swine fever virus ,Disease Outbreaks ,law.invention ,0403 veterinary science ,Viral Proteins ,03 medical and health sciences ,law ,Asfarviridae ,Quarantine ,Animals ,African Swine Fever ,Genotyping ,Phylogeny ,Original Research ,lcsh:Veterinary medicine ,General Veterinary ,biology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Outbreak ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,African Swine Fever Virus ,Virology ,3. Good health ,030104 developmental biology ,DNA, Viral ,lcsh:SF600-1100 ,Sylvatic cycle - Abstract
In early 2015, a highly fatal haemorrhagic disease of domestic pigs resembling African swine fever (ASF) occurred in North Western, Copperbelt, and Lusaka provinces of Zambia. Molecular diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction targeting specific amplification of p72 (B646L) gene of ASF virus (ASFV) was conducted. Fourteen out of 16 domestic pigs from the affected provinces were found to be positive for ASFV. Phylogenetic analyses based on part of the p72 and the complete p54 (E183L) genes revealed that all the ASFVs detected belonged to genotypes I and Id, respectively. Additionally, epidemiological data suggest that the same ASFV spread from Lusaka to other provinces possibly through uncontrolled and/or illegal pig movements. Although the origin of the ASFV that caused outbreaks in domestic pigs in Zambia could not be ascertained, it appears likely that the virus may have emerged from within the country or region, probably from a sylvatic cycle. It is recommended that surveillance of ASF, strict biosecurity, and quarantine measures be imposed in order to prevent further spread and emergence of new ASF outbreaks in Zambia.Keywords: African swine fever; Asfarviridae; Molecular epidemiology; Zambia
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- 2016
27. Characterization of influenza A viruses isolated from wild waterfowl in Zambia
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Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Wilbroad Chansa, Jack Chulu, Chuma Simukonda, Boniface Namangala, Yuka Suzuki, Manabu Igarashi, Chihiro Sugimoto, Ayato Takada, Hiroshi Kida, Ichiro Nakamura, Aaron S. Mweene, Akihiro Ishii, Kimihito Ito, Rashid Manzoor, Hirofumi Sawa, Edgar Simulundu, and Ladslav Moonga
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animal diseases ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Orthomyxoviridae ,Zambia ,Animals, Wild ,medicine.disease_cause ,Virus ,Gene flow ,Feces ,Mice ,Viral Proteins ,Anseriformes ,Virology ,Influenza A virus ,medicine ,Waterfowl ,Animals ,Humans ,Phylogeny ,Mice, Inbred BALB C ,Virulence ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,virus diseases ,biology.organism_classification ,Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ,Viral replication ,Influenza in Birds - Abstract
Although the quest to clarify the role of wild birds in the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) has yielded considerable data on AIVs in wild birds worldwide, information regarding the ecology and epidemiology of AIVs in African wild birds is still very limited. During AIV surveillance in Zambia (2008–2009), 12 viruses of distinct subtypes (H3N8, H4N6, H6N2, H9N1 and H11N9) were isolated from wild waterfowl. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that all the isolates were of the Eurasian lineage. Whilst some genes were closely related to those of AIVs isolated from wild and domestic birds in South Africa, intimating possible AIV exchange between wild birds and poultry in southern Africa, some gene segments were closely related to those of AIVs isolated in Europe and Asia, thus confirming the inter-regional AIV gene flow among these continents. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences of internal proteins revealed that several isolates harboured particular residues predominantly observed in human influenza viruses. Interestingly, the isolates with human-associated residues exhibited higher levels of virus replication in the lungs of infected mice and caused more morbidity as measured by weight loss than an isolate lacking such residues. This study stresses the need for continued monitoring of AIVs in wild and domestic birds in southern Africa to gain a better understanding of the emergence of strains with the potential to infect mammals.
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- 2011
28. Molecular characterization of infectious bursal disease viruses detected in vaccinated commercial broiler flocks in Lusaka, Zambia
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Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Ladslav Moonga, Hirohito Ogawa, Edgar Simulundu, Kunda Ndashe, Ayato Takada, and Aaron S. Mweene
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0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,animal structures ,Genotype ,040301 veterinary sciences ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Sequence Homology ,Zambia ,Biology ,Infectious bursal disease virus ,Virus ,Infectious bursal disease ,0403 veterinary science ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medical microbiology ,Virology ,parasitic diseases ,medicine ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Phylogeny ,Poultry Diseases ,Viral Structural Proteins ,Attenuated vaccine ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,medicine.disease ,Birnaviridae Infections ,Hypervariable region ,030104 developmental biology ,RNA, Viral ,Viral disease ,Flock ,Chickens - Abstract
Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious, and immunosuppressive viral disease of young chickens and remains one of the economically most important diseases threatening the poultry industry worldwide. In this study, 16 and 11 nucleotide sequences of the VP2 hypervariable region (VP2-HVR) and part of VP1, respectively, of IBD virus (IBDV) detected in vaccinated broiler chickens in Lusaka in 2012 were determined. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these Zambian IBDVs separated into three genotypes of very virulent (VV) IBDVs. Although the majority of these viruses belonged to the African VV type (VV1), which consisted of viruses from West Africa, South Africa and Zambia, one virus belonged to the East African VV type (VV2). Interestingly, a Zambian IBDV belonging to the VV3 genotype (composed of viruses from several continents) clustered with attenuated vaccine strains. Although sequence analysis of VP2-HVR showed that all detected Zambian IBDVs had conserved putative virulence marker amino acids (i.e., 222A, 242I, 256I, 294I and 299S), one virus had two unique amino acid substitutions, N280S and E300A. This study demonstrates the diversity of Zambian IBDVs and documents for the first time the possible involvement of attenuated vaccine strains in the epidemiology of IBD in Zambia. Strict biosecurity of poultry farms, monitoring of live vaccine use in the field, surveillance and characterization of IBDV in poultry and development of a vaccine from local or regional IBDV field strains are recommended for improved IBD control in Zambia.
- Published
- 2015
29. Metagenomic analysis of the shrew enteric virome reveals novel viruses related to human stool-associated viruses
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Keisuke Ueno, Hirofumi Sawa, Kimihito Ito, Ladslav Moonga, Yasuko Orba, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Michihito Sasaki, Aaron S. Mweene, and Akihiro Ishii
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Viral metagenomics ,food.ingredient ,Picornavirus ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Biology ,Genome ,food ,Virology ,biology.animal ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Human virome ,Phylogeny ,Shrews ,Human parechovirus ,Shrew ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biology.organism_classification ,Biota ,Intestines ,Cyclovirus ,Metagenomics ,Viruses ,Metagenome - Abstract
Shrews are small insectivorous mammals that are distributed worldwide. Similar to rodents, shrews live on the ground and are commonly found near human residences. In this study, we investigated the enteric virome of wild shrews in the genus Crocidura using a sequence-independent viral metagenomics approach. A large portion of the shrew enteric virome was composed of insect viruses, whilst novel viruses including cyclovirus, picornavirus and picorna-like virus were also identified. Several cycloviruses, including variants of human cycloviruses detected in cerebrospinal fluid and stools, were detected in wild shrews at a high prevalence rate. The identified picornavirus was distantly related to human parechovirus, inferring the presence of a new genus in this family. The identified picorna-like viruses were characterized as different species of calhevirus 1, which was discovered previously in human stools. Complete or nearly complete genome sequences of these novel viruses were determined in this study and then were subjected to further genetic characterization. Our study provides an initial view of the diversity and distinctiveness of the shrew enteric virome and highlights unique novel viruses related to human stool-associated viruses.
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- 2014
30. Pathological and molecular diagnosis of the 2013 African swine fever outbreak in Lusaka, Zambia
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Herman M. Chambaro, Pharaoh Hamambulu, Masahiro Kajihara, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Akina Mori-Kajihara, Katendi Changula-Chitanga, Liywalii Mataa, Hirohito Ogawa, Bonniface Namangala, Aaron S. Mweene, Paul Fandamu, Hideaki Higashi, Hirofumi Sawa, Edgar Simulundu, Max Mwase, John Yabe, Mutinta Mweemba-Muwowo, and Ayato Takada
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Swine ,Zambia ,Disease ,African swine fever virus ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,law.invention ,Disease Outbreaks ,Food Animals ,law ,Pregnancy ,medicine ,Animals ,African Swine Fever ,Pathological ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Phylogeny ,African swine fever ,biology ,business.industry ,Outbreak ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,African Swine Fever Virus ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Histopathology ,Female ,Viral disease ,business - Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and fatal hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic pigs. The disease is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and has repeatedly been introduced into other continents. The current study describes the diagnostic investigations of a hemorrhagic disease that was reported in pigs in Lusaka (October 2013), Zambia. Necropsy, histopathology, and molecular diagnosis using polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis confirmed the disease to be ASF. The sequences obtained showed high similarity to previously isolated ASF viruses. Consistent surveillance and rapid diagnosis of the disease is recommended to prevent future outbreaks and economic losses as there is currently no vaccine against the disease.
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- 2014
31. Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 in Wild Nonhuman Primates, Zambia
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Yasuko Orba, Hirohito Ogawa, Takashi Kimura, Michihito Sasaki, Akihiro Ishii, Ichiro Nakamura, Aaron S. Mweene, Ladslav Moonga, Yuka Thomas, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, and Hirofumi Sawa
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,Serotype ,Epidemiology ,nonhuman primates ,primates ,animal diseases ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,lcsh:Medicine ,serologic tests ,Human parainfluenza virus 3 ,Respirovirus Infections ,Genome ,Cercopithecus aethiops ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases ,Serology ,Viral Proteins ,Chlorocebus aethiops ,parasitic diseases ,Animals ,Humans ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,Viral rna ,Serotyping ,Phylogeny ,biology ,Monkey Diseases ,lcsh:R ,Dispatch ,virus diseases ,Virology ,viral RNA ,Parainfluenza Virus 3, Human ,Human Parainfluenza Virus ,Infectious Diseases ,biology.protein ,Antibody ,Papio - Abstract
Human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3) genome was detected in 4 baboons in Zambia. Antibody for HPIV3 was detected in 13 baboons and 6 vervet monkeys in 2 distinct areas in Zambia. Our findings suggest that wild nonhuman primates are susceptible to HPIV3 infection.
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- 2013
32. Molecular surveillance and phylogenetic analysis of Old World arenaviruses in Zambia
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Yuka Thomas, Ichiro Nakamura, Hirofumi Sawa, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Ladslav Moonga, Aiko Ohnuma, Akihiro Ishii, Ayato Takada, and Aaron S. Mweene
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viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,Rodentia ,Genome, Viral ,Virus ,Phylogenetics ,Virology ,Animals ,Amino Acid Sequence ,Clade ,Phylogeny ,Lujo virus ,Genetics ,Arenavirus ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Base Sequence ,virus diseases ,Mus minutoides ,biology.organism_classification ,Nucleoprotein ,Nucleoproteins ,RNA, Viral ,Arenaviruses, Old World - Abstract
In order to survey arenaviruses in the Republic of Zambia, we captured 335 rodents from three cities between 2010 and 2011. Eighteen Luna virus (LUNV) and one lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-related virus RNAs were detected by one-step RT-PCR from Mastomys natalensis and Mus minutoides, respectively. Four LUNV strains and one LCMV-related virus were isolated, and the whole genome nucleotide sequence was determined by pyrosequencing. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the LUNV clade consists of two branches that are distinguished by geographical location and that the LCMV-related virus belongs to the LCMV clade, but diverges from the typical LCMVs. Comparison of nucleoprotein amino acid sequences indicated that the LCMV-related virus could be designated a novel arenavirus, which was tentatively named as the Lunk virus. Amino acid sequences of the GP, NP, Z and L proteins showed poor similarity among the three Zambian arenavirus strains, i.e. Luna, Lunk and Lujo virus.
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- 2012
33. Novel Arenavirus, Zambia
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Ichiro Nakamura, Aiko Ohnuma, Ayato Takada, Yuka Thomas, Aaron S. Mweene, Akihiro Ishii, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Ladslav Moonga, and Hirofumi Sawa
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Rodent Diseases ,Microbiology (medical) ,Republic of Zambia ,Epidemiology ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,lcsh:Medicine ,phylogeny ,Virus ,Old World Arenaviruses ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases ,Viral Matrix Proteins ,Mastomys natalensis ,Arenaviridae Infections ,Animals ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,Arenavirus ,biology ,lcsh:R ,Dispatch ,virus diseases ,Murinae ,biology.organism_classification ,arenavirus infections ,Virology ,hemorrhagic fevers ,Hemorrhagic Fevers ,Infectious Diseases ,Mastomys ,RNA, Viral ,Old World arenaviruses ,viral - Abstract
To investigate arenavirus in Zambia, we characterized virus from the kidneys of 5 arenavirus RNA–positive rodents (Mastomys natalensis) among 263 captured. Full-genome sequences of the viruses suggested that they were new strains similar to Lassa virus–related arenaviruses. Analyzing samples from additional rodents and other species can elucidate epizootiologic aspects of arenaviruses.
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- 2011
34. Molecular epidemiology and a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for diagnosis of infection with rabies virus in Zambia
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Takashi Kimura, Hirofumi Sawa, Douglas Banda, Paul Fandamu, Akihiro Ishii, Luke Zulu, Aaron S. Mweene, Boniface Namangala, and Walter Muleya
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Cancer Research ,Genotype ,Sequence analysis ,Rabies ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Loop-mediated isothermal amplification ,Zambia ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Dogs ,Viral Envelope Proteins ,Phylogenetics ,Virology ,parasitic diseases ,medicine ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,Dog Diseases ,Reverse Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification ,Antigens, Viral ,Phylogeny ,DNA Primers ,Glycoproteins ,Molecular Epidemiology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Rabies virus ,Reproducibility of Results ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Nucleocapsid Proteins ,medicine.disease ,Infectious Diseases ,Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ,RNA, Viral ,Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques - Abstract
The National Livestock Epidemiology and Information Center (NALEIC) in Zambia reported over 132 cases of canine rabies diagnosed by the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT) from 2004 to 2009. In this study, the lineage of rabies virus (RABV) in Zambia was determined by phylogenetic analysis of the nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein (G) gene sequences. Total RNA was extracted from 87-DFAT brain specimens out of which only 35 (40%) were positive on nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for each gene, and 26 being positive for both genes. Positive specimens for the N (n=33) and G (n=35) genes were used for phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of the N gene showed two phylogenetic clusters in Zambia belonging to the Africa 1b lineage present in eastern and southern Africa. While one cluster exclusively comprised Zambian strains, the other was more heterogeneous regarding the RABV origins and included strains from Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. Phylogenetic analysis of the G gene revealed similar RABV strains in different hosts and regions of Zambia. We designed primers for reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay from the consensus sequence of the N gene in an attempt to improve the molecular diagnosis of RABV in Zambia. The specificity and reproducibility of the RT-LAMP assay was confirmed with actual clinical specimens. Therefore, the RT-LAMP assay presented in this study may prove to be useful for routine diagnosis of rabies in Zambia.
- Published
- 2011
35. Detection and characterization of a novel polyomavirus in wild rodents
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Aaron S. Mweene, Hirofumi Sawa, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Ichiro Nakamura, Shintaro Kobayashi, Yasuko Orba, Akihiro Ishii, Yuka Thomas, and Takashi Kimura
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Sequence analysis ,viruses ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Zambia ,Animals, Wild ,Biology ,Cross Reactions ,Antibodies, Viral ,Genome ,Virus ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Mice ,Viral Proteins ,Virology ,Animals ,Cluster Analysis ,ORFS ,Phylogeny ,virus diseases ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,biology.organism_classification ,Molecular biology ,Capsid ,chemistry ,Mastomys ,DNA, Viral ,biology.protein ,Murinae ,Antibody ,Polyomavirus ,DNA ,Spleen - Abstract
To investigate polyomavirus infection in wild rodents, we analysed DNA samples from the spleens of 100 wild rodents from Zambia using a broad-spectrum PCR-based assay. A previously unknown polyomavirus genome was identified in a sample from a multimammate mouse (Mastomys species) and the entire viral genome of 4899 bp was subsequently sequenced. This viral genome contained potential ORFs for the capsid proteins, VP1, VP2 and VP3, and early proteins, small t antigen and large T antigen. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it was a novel member of the family Polyomaviridae, and thus the virus was tentatively named mastomys polyomavirus. After transfection of the viral genome into several mammalian cell lines, transient expression of the VP1 and large T antigen proteins was confirmed by immunoblotting and immunocytochemical analyses. Comparison of large T antigen function in mastomys polyomavirus with that in rhesus monkey polyomavirus SV40 and human polyomavirus JC virus revealed that the large T antigen from mastomys polyomavirus interacted with the tumour suppressor protein pRb, but not with p53.
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- 2010
36. Molecular epidemiology of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) migrating to Zambia from the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Author
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Yasuhiko Suzuki, Alisheke Mutemwa, Hirohito Ogawa, Bernard M. Hang’ombe, Nobuo Koizumi, Hiroshi Kida, Chihiro Sugimoto, Aaron S. Mweene, Aiko Ohnuma, Ayato Takada, and Hirofumi Sawa
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,animal diseases ,Population ,Zoology ,Fruit bat ,Zambia ,Microbiology ,Article ,Phylogenetics ,Leptospira ,Chiroptera ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Leptospirosis ,Pathogenic ,education ,Molecular Biology ,Phylogeny ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Molecular Epidemiology ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Eidolon helvum ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,16S ribosomal RNA ,bacterial infections and mycoses ,Virology ,Infectious Diseases ,Leptospira kirschneri ,Democratic Republic of the Congo ,bacteria ,Animal Migration - Abstract
Highlights • Leptospira from Eidolon helvum bats in Zambia was detected by flaB-nested PCR. • The Leptospira flaB was detected in 72 of 529 E. helvum bats. • The Leptospira rrs was also detected in E. helvum bats in Zambia. • Most of the Leptospira sequences belong to a unique cluster in the phylogeny. • E. helvum bats are a candidate natural reservoir to pathogenic Leptospira in Zambia., The role played by bats as a potential source of transmission of Leptospira spp. to humans is poorly understood, despite various pathogenic Leptospira spp. being identified in these mammals. Here, we investigated the prevalence and diversity of pathogenic Leptospira spp. that infect the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum). We captured this bat species, which is widely distributed in Africa, in Zambia during 2008–2013. We detected the flagellin B gene (flaB) from pathogenic Leptospira spp. in kidney samples from 79 of 529 E. helvum (14.9%) bats. Phylogenetic analysis of 70 flaB fragments amplified from E. helvum samples and previously reported sequences, revealed that 12 of the fragments grouped with Leptospira borgpetersenii and Leptospira kirschneri; however, the remaining 58 flaB fragments appeared not to be associated with any reported species. Additionally, the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rrs) amplified from 27 randomly chosen flaB-positive samples was compared with previously reported sequences, including bat-derived Leptospira spp. All 27 rrs fragments clustered into a pathogenic group. Eight fragments were located in unique branches, the other 19 fragments were closely related to Leptospira spp. detected in bats. These results show that rrs sequences in bats are genetically related to each other without regional variation, suggesting that Leptospira are evolutionarily well-adapted to bats and have uniquely evolved in the bat population. Our study indicates that pathogenic Leptospira spp. in E. helvum in Zambia have unique genotypes.
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