Sosuga Virus Detected in Egyptian Rousette Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in Sierra Leone

Bibliographic Details
Title: Sosuga Virus Detected in Egyptian Rousette Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in Sierra Leone
Authors: Brian R. Amman, Alusine H. Koroma, Amy J. Schuh, Immah Conteh, Tara K. Sealy, Ibrahim Foday, Jonathan Johnny, Ibrahim A. Bakarr, Shannon L. M. Whitmer, Emily A. Wright, Aiah A. Gbakima, James Graziano, Camilla Bangura, Emmanuel Kamanda, Augustus Osborne, Emmanuel Saidu, Jonathan A. Musa, Doris F. Bangura, Sammuel M. T. Williams, George M. Fefegula, Christian Sumaila, Juliet Jabaty, Fatmata H. James, Amara Jambai, Kate Garnett, Thomas F. Kamara, Jonathan S. Towner, Aiah Lebbie
Source: Viruses, Vol 16, Iss 4, p 648 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Microbiology
Subject Terms: Sosuga virus, paramyxovirus, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Egyptian rousette, range extension, zoonotic viruses, Microbiology, QR1-502
More Details: Sosuga virus (SOSV), a rare human pathogenic paramyxovirus, was first discovered in 2012 when a person became ill after working in South Sudan and Uganda. During an ecological investigation, several species of bats were sampled and tested for SOSV RNA and only one species, the Egyptian rousette bat (ERBs; Rousettus aegyptiacus), tested positive. Since that time, multiple other species have been sampled and ERBs in Uganda have continued to be the only species of bat positive for SOSV infection. Subsequent studies of ERBs with SOSV demonstrated that ERBs are a competent host for SOSV and shed this infectious virus while exhibiting only minor infection-associated pathology. Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, surveillance efforts focused on discovering reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens resulted in the capture and testing of many bat species. Here, SOSV RNA was detected by qRT-PCR only in ERBs captured in the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone in the central region of the country. These findings represent a substantial range extension from East Africa to West Africa for SOSV, suggesting that this paramyxovirus may occur in ERB populations throughout its sub-Saharan African range.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1999-4915
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/4/648; https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4915
DOI: 10.3390/v16040648
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/310e582ef28f4f6c8c7c7c3357b96312
Accession Number: edsdoj.310e582ef28f4f6c8c7c7c3357b96312
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:19994915
DOI:10.3390/v16040648
Published in:Viruses
Language:English