Browsing by Author "Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UR178"

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    The natural history of Ebola virus in Africa
    (2005-06-01) Xavier Pourrut; Brice Kumulungui; Tatiana Wittmann; Ghislain Moussavou; André Délicat; Philippe Yaba; Dieudonné Nkoghe; Jean Paul Gonzalez; Eric Maurice Leroy; Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UR178; Programme National Tuberculose; Mahidol University
    Several countries spanning the equatorial forest regions of Africa have had outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever over the last three decades. This article is an overview of the many published investigations of how Ebola virus circulates in its natural environment, focusing on the viral reservoir, susceptible animal species, environmental conditions favoring inter-species transmission, and how the infection is transmitted to humans. Major breakthroughs have been made in recent years but many outstanding questions must be dealt with if we are to prevent human outbreaks by interfering with the viral life cycle. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.
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    A serological survey of ebola virus infection in central African nonhuman primates
    (2004-12-01) Eric M. Leroy; P. Telfer; B. Kumulungui; P. Yaba; P. Rouquet; P. Roques; J. P. Gonzalez; T. G. Ksiazek; P. E. Rollin; E. Nerrienet; Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UR178; Mahidol University; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
    We used an ELISA to determine the prevalence of IgG antibodies specific for the Zaire subtype of Ebola virus in 790 nonhuman primates, belonging to 20 species, studied between 1985 and 2000 in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. The seroprevalence rate of Ebola antibody in wild-born chimpanzees was 12.9%, indicating that (1) Ebola virus circulates in the forests of a large region of central Africa, including countries such as Cameroon, where no human cases of Ebola infections have been reported; (2) Ebola virus was present in the area before recent outbreaks in humans; (3) chimpanzees are continuously in contact with the virus; and (4) nonlethal Ebola infection can occur in chimpanzees. These results, together with the unexpected detection of Ebola-specific IgG in other species (5 drills, 1 baboon, 1 mandrill, and 1 Cercopithecus), may help to narrow the search for the reservoir of Ebola virus. They also suggest that future Ebola outbreaks may occur anywhere in the central African forest region.
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    Spatial and temporal patterns of Zaire ebolavirus antibody prevalence in the possible reservoir bat species
    (2007-11-15) X. Pourrut; A. Délicat; P. E. Rollin; T. G. Ksiazek; J. P. Gonzalez; E. M. Leroy; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UR178; Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mahidol University
    To characterize the distribution of Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) infection within the 3 bat species (Epomops franqueti, Hypsignathus monstrosus, and Myonycteris torquata) that are possible reservoirs, we collected 1390 bats during 2003-2006 in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. Detection of ZEBOV immunoglobulin G (IgG) in 40 specimens supports the role of these bat species as the ZEBOV reservoirs. ZEBOV IgG prevalence rates (5%) were homogeneous across epidemic and nonepidemic regions during outbreaks, indicating that infected bats may well be present in nonepidemic regions of central Africa. ZEBOV IgG prevalence decreased, significantly, to 1% after the outbreaks, suggesting that the percentage of IgG-positive bats is associated with virus transmission to other animal species and outbreak appearance. The large number of ZEBOV IgG-positive adult bats and pregnant H. monstrosus females suggests virus transmission within bat populations through fighting and sexual contact. Our study, thus, helps to describe Ebola virus circulation in bats and offers some insight into the appearance of outbreaks. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.