Tuyển tập báo cáo các nghiên cứu khoa học quốc tế ngành y học dành cho các bạn tham khảo đề tài: First serological evidence of West Nile virus in human rural populations of Gabon | Pourrut et al. Virology Journal 2010 7 132 http content 7 1 132 VIROLOGY JOURNAL STUDY PROTOCOL Open Access First serological evidence of West Nile virus in human rural populations of Gabon Xavier Pourrut 1 2 Dieudonné Nkoghé2 Janusz Paweska3 and Eric Leroy1 2 Abstract To investigate West Nile virus WNV circulation in rural populations in Gabon we undertook a large serological survey focusing on human rural populations using two different ELISA assays. A sample was considered positive when it reacted in both tests. A total of 2320 villagers from 115 villages were interviewed and sampled. Surprisingly the WNV-specific IgG prevalence was high overall and varied according to the ecosystem in forested regions in savanna and in the lakes region. The WNV-specific IgG prevalence rate was 30 in males and in females and increased with age. Although serological cross-reactions between flaviviruses are likely and may be frequent these findings strongly suggest that WNV is widespread in Gabon. The difference in WNV prevalence among ecosystems suggests preferential circulation in the lakes region. The linear increase with age suggests continuous exposure of Gabonese populations to WNV. Further investigations are needed to determine the WNV cycle and transmission patterns in Gabon. Findings West Nile virus WNV is a mosquito-borne RNA virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus family Flaviviridae. Although human WNV infection is generally asymptomatic or causes a flu-like illness life-threatening neurological complications such as meningoencephalitis and flaccid paralysis have been reported 1 . WNV is transmitted in the wild through an enzootic cycle involving birds and ornithophilic mosquitoes 2 3 . WNV has been widely reported thorough the world including in many African countries 2 4 . However the distribution of WNV is poorly documented in central Africa. Serological evidence of human exposure to WNV has been reported in the Central .
