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Tanapox is a rarely diagnosed zoonosis endemic to equatorial Africa. Only 4 exported cases from Africa involving either human or nonhuman primates have been reported (Table). Initial human outbreaks, in [...]

In response to the emergence of Lassa fever, Marburg virus, and Ebola virus in Africa, a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory was constructed at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) [...]

As of March 2018, thirteen outbreaks of Marburg virus (MARV) disease (MVD) have been reported, most occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (1,2). The first recognized outbreak of MVD in Africa occurred [...]

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute disease of domestic ruminants in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This disease is caused by a mosquito-borne virus of the family Bunyaviridae and [...]

To determine reservoir hosts for Marburg virus (MARV), we examined the fauna of a mine in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mine was associated with a protracted outbreak [...]

The incidence of dog rabies in Limpopo Province, South Africa, increased from 5 cases in 2004 to 100 in 2006. Human rabies had last been confirmed in 1981, but investigations [...]

We developed a real-time reverse transcription--PCR that detected 1,164 copies/mL of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus per milliliter of serum at 95% probability (probit analysis) and was 100% concordant with nested [...]

Phylogenetic relationships were examined for 29 southern African West Nile virus (formal name West Nile virus [WNV]) isolates from various sources in four countries from 1958 to 2001. In addition [...]

During 5 months in 2004-2005, buffalopoxvirus infection, confirmed by virus isolation and limited nucleic acid sequencing, spread between 5 burns units in Karachi, Pakistan. The outbreak was related to movement [...]

To the Editor: Yellow fever virus (YFV) is endemic in tropical and subtropical Africa and South America, and it is transmitted to humans and nonhuman primates through the bites of [...]

Duvenhage virus was isolated from a patient who died of a rabieslike disease after being scratched by a bat early in 2006. This occurred [approximately equal to] 80 km from [...]

In May 2003, an outbreak of fatal hemorrhagic fever, caused by yellow fever virus, occurred in southern Sudan. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus belonged to the East African genotype, [...]

We detected a high seroprevalence of Marburg virus (MARV) antibodies in fruit bats in South Africa; 19.1% of recaptured bats seroconverted. The MARV RNA isolated closely resembled the 1975 Ozolin strain. These findings indicate endemic MARV circulation in bats in South Africa and should inform policies on MARV disease risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis affecting domestic and wild ruminants, camels and humans. Outbreaks of RVF are characterized by a sudden onset of abortions and high mortality amongst domestic ruminants. Humans develop disease ranging from a mild flu-like illness to more severe complications including hemorrhagic syndrome, ocular and neurological lesions and death. During the RVF outbreak in South Africa in 2010/11, a total of 278 human cases were laboratory confirmed, including 25 deaths. The role of the host inflammatory response to RVF pathogenesis is not completely understood. Methods: Virus load in serum from human fatal and non-fatal cases was determined by standard tissue culture infective dose 50 (TCID50) titration on Vero cells. Patient serum concentration of chemokines and cytokines involved in inflammatory responses (IL-8, RANTES, CXCL9, MCP-1, IP-10, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF and IL-12p70) was determined using cytometric bead assays and flow cytometry. Results: Fatal cases had a 1-log10 higher TCID50/ml serum concentration of RVF virus (RVFV) than survivors (p < 0.05). There were no significant sequence differences between isolates recovered from fatal and non-fatal cases. Chemokines and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were detected at significantly increased (IL-8, CXCL9, MCP-1, IP-10, IL-10) or decreased (RANTES) levels when comparing fatal cases to infected survivors and uninfected controls, or when comparing combined infected patients to uninfected controls. Conclusions: The results suggest that regulation of the host inflammatory responses plays an important role in the outcome of RVFV infection in humans. Dysregulation of the inflammatory response contributes to a fatal outcome. The cytokines and chemokines identified in this study that correlate with fatal outcomes warrant further investigation as markers for disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We detected a high seroprevalence of Marburg virus (MARV) antibodies in fruit bats in South Africa; 19.1% of recaptured bats seroconverted. The MARV RNA isolated closely resembled the 1975 Ozolin strain. These findings indicate endemic MARV circulation in bats in South Africa and should inform policies on MARV disease risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wesselsbron disease is a neglected, mosquito-borne zoonotic infection reported from Africa. The disease primarily affects sheep and other ruminants with incidental spillover to humans. As for other arboviral diseases in Africa, little or no active surveillance is conducted, and the public and veterinary health burden of this disease remains unclear. We report on the clinical histories of 2 human cases of Wesselsbron disease that were laboratory confirmed during the 2010-2011 Rift Valley fever outbreak investigation in South Africa. This report describes the first confirmed human cases of Wesselsbron disease since 1996. Molecular sequencing and analysis of the partial NS5 gene of the Wesselsbron genome was used to identify 2 circulating clades of the virus in southern Africa. Clade I included isolates collected from South Africa and Zimbabwe, whereas clade II only included isolates from the KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa.