1. Ebola virus circulation in a non-epidemic Guinean rural area: A mixed-method approach to assessing endemicity.
- Author
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Hounmenou CG, Marcis FL, Kaba D, Diaby M, Soumah AK, Diallo H, Thaurignac G, Camara SC, Ayouba A, Peeters M, Keita AK, Delaporte E, and Touré A
- Subjects
- Humans, Adolescent, Cross-Sectional Studies, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Male, Female, Child, Child, Preschool, Adult, Young Adult, Guinea epidemiology, Middle Aged, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Endemic Diseases, Prevalence, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola epidemiology, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola blood, Rural Population, Antibodies, Viral blood, Ebolavirus immunology
- Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of orthoebolavirus antibodies in Madina Oula, a non-epidemic rural area in Guinea, in 2022., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 14 to April 3, 2022 involving recording household and socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle data, and collecting dried blood spots from 878 individuals in 235 households. Dried blood spots were tested using multiplex serology to detect antibodies to different orthoebolaviruses: Ebola virus, Bundibugyo virus, Sudan virus, Reston virus, and Bombali virus. Seroprevalence was estimated with a 95% confidence interval and a Z-test was performed to compare the seropositivity between children aged under 15 years and those over 15 years. Household and participant characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistic, and socio-historical conditions were discussed., Results: The serological analysis conducted in 2022 on 878 participants revealed varying reactivity to orthoebolavirus antigens, notably, with glycoprotein antigens, particularly, glycoprotein Sudan virus (16%). A total of 21 samples exhibited reactivity with at least two antigens, with a median age of 27 years (interquartile range 10.00-35.00), ranging from 2 to 80 years. There is no significant difference between seropositivity in children aged under 15 (2.86%) years and those over 15 (2.14%) years. The antibody presence varied per village, with the highest prevalence observed in Ouassou and Dar-es-Salam., Conclusions: Serological data in a region unaffected by recent Ebola outbreaks indicate possible orthoebolavirus endemicity, emphasizing the need for preparedness against known or novel orthoebolaviruses with potential cross-reactivity., Competing Interests: Declarations of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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