Publications (7)
Santé Animale
Maladies animales transmissibles à l'homme
La fièvre de Lassa est une maladie zoonotique causée par le virus Lassa (LASV), dont le principal réservoir est le rat multimammé (Mastomys natalensis). Bien que la maladie soit principalement endémique en Guinée, au Liberia, en Sierra Leone et au Nigeria, peu de données étaient disponibles sur la circulation du virus en Côte d’Ivoire. Cette étude avait pour objectif de déterminer si le virus Lassa circulait chez les rongeurs sauvages dans différentes régions écologiques du pays. Entre août et octobre 2013, les chercheurs ont capturé 281 petits mammifères (254 rongeurs et 27 insectivores) dans quinze villages situés autour de Korhogo, Bouaké et du Parc national de Taï. Les espèces ont été identifiées par analyses morphologiques et génétiques, puis les tissus pulmonaires ont été analysés par RT-PCR en temps réel afin de détecter l’ARN du virus Lassa. Les résultats ont montré la présence du virus chez 4 des 18 spécimens de Mastomys natalensis capturés dans le village de Gbalôhô, près de Korhogo, soit une prévalence de 22,2 %. Tous les animaux infectés avaient été capturés à l’intérieur des habitations, ce qui met en évidence un risque potentiel de transmission du virus à l’être humain. Les analyses phylogénétiques ont révélé que les souches détectées en Côte d’Ivoire étaient étroitement apparentées à celles identifiées au Mali ainsi qu’à la souche AV isolée chez un patient allemand ayant voyagé en Afrique de l’Ouest. Les analyses évolutives suggèrent que ces virus partagent un ancêtre commun ayant circulé il y a environ 90 ans. Cette étude constitue la première preuve de la circulation du virus Lassa chez son réservoir naturel en Côte d’Ivoire. Elle démontre que le nord du pays, en particulier la région de Korhogo, représente une zone potentielle d’endémie et souligne l’importance de renforcer la surveillance des rongeurs, le diagnostic des cas humains et les actions de sensibilisation afin d’améliorer la détection et la prévention de la fièvre de Lassa
📅 2015
📰 Emerging Infectious Diseases
DOI
Santé Animale
Virologie vétérinaire
The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis; M. natalensis) serves as the main reservoir for the zoonotic arenavirus Lassa virus (LASV), and this has led to considerable investigation into the distribution of LASV and other related arenaviruses in this host species. In contrast to the situation with arenaviruses, the presence of other viruses in M. natalensis remains largely unexplored. In this study, herpesviruses and polyomaviruses were identified and partially characterized by PCR methods, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. In tissues sampled from M. natalensis populations in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, six new DNA viruses (four betaherpesviruses, one gammaherpesvirus and one polyomavirus) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis based on glycoprotein B amino acid sequences showed that the herpesviruses clustered with cytomegaloviruses and rhadinoviruses of multiple rodent species. The complete circular genome of the newly identified polyomavirus was amplified by PCR. Amino acid sequence analysis of the large T antigen or VP1 showed that this virus clustered with a known polyomavirus from a house mouse (species Mus musculus polyomavirus 1). These two polyomaviruses form a clade with other rodent polyomaviruses, and the newly identified virus represents the third known polyomavirus of M. natalensis.
This study represents the first identification of herpesviruses and the discovery of a novel polyomavirus in M. natalensis. In contrast to arenaviruses, we anticipate that these newly identified viruses represent a low zoonotic risk due to the normally highly restricted specificity of members of these two DNA virus families to their individual mammalian host species.
📅 2000
📰 Archives of Virology
DOI
Santé Animale
Faune sauvage et réservoirs
Human respiratory pathogens have repeatedly caused lethal outbreaks in wild great apes across Africa, leading to population declines. Nonetheless, our knowledge of potential genomic changes associated with pathogen introduction and spread at the human-great ape interface remains sparse. Here, we made use of target enrichment
coupled with next generation sequencing to non-invasively investigate five outbreaks of human-introduced respiratory disease in wild chimpanzees living in Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. By retrieving 34 complete viral genomes and three distinct constellations of pneumococcal virulence factors, we provide genomic insights into
these spillover events and describe a framework for non-invasive genomic surveillance in wildlife.
📅 2022
📰 Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses
DOI
Santé Humaine
Maladies infectieuses et tropicales
Background: Onchocerciasis (river blindness) was a major cause of blindness with significant socio-economic impacts. In endemic regions like Côte d'Ivoire, understanding community knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of preventive measures promoted by the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control and Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN 2016-present). This study assessedthe knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rural populations in Guiembé toward Simulidian nuisances.
Methods: Cluster random sampling was used to select 120 adults for the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to subjects. Data on knowledge of the local name, cause, mode of transmission, manifestation, severity, treatment, and prevention of onchocerciasis were collected and analysed.
Results: The studied population was predominantly male (68.3%) and had limited access to secondary education. Their primary professional activity was agriculture (84.2%). A high proportion of respondents (95.5%) reported at least one blackfly bite, primarily occurring in fields (45.8%) and near rivers (35.0%). Itching was identified as the main effect of the bites, reported by 98.3% of respondents. Grasses were perceived as the primary factor promoting the proliferation of these flies. Blackfly biting activity was more intense during the afternoon (58.3%), with a clear preference for the legs (79.2%). Regarding prevention methods, the majority of respondents (90.8%) stated they simply wore clothing for protection. In contrast, after a bite, most respondents (83.3%) took no specific measures to alleviate symptoms.
Conclusion: This study reveals a high level of exposure to black fly bites, combined with a lack of knowledge of their bioecology among residents, leading to ongoing exposure. The low uptake of post-bite curative measures highlights significant gaps in community knowledge and practice. Strengthening health education, as well as promoting preventive strategies and appropriate post-bite care, could improve the uptake and effectiveness of onchocerciasis control interventions in rural Guiembé.
📅 2025
📰 Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology
DOI
Santé Humaine
Zoonoses et maladies émergentes
The hantavirus Mouyassué was first described in 2009 in banana pipistrelle (Neoromicia nanus) near Aboisso South East Côte d’Ivoire. In order to investigate the persistence of hantavirus in this region, eight years later we captured 163 banana pipistrelle in the same region. The use of nested RT -PCR allowed the detection of the virus within 30 banana pipistrelle that represents 18%. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the detected viruses all belonged to the hantavirus Mouyassué virus. These results demonstrated that banana pipistrelle constitute natural host of hantavirus in this area. Given that banana pipistrelles are commonly found in and around villages and frequently roost in the roofs of houses, further investigation is warranted to assess the potential risk of hantavirus transmission to humans.
📅 2025
📰 Microbiology and nature
DOI
Santé Animale
Faune sauvage et réservoirs
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV; Orthopoxvirus monkeypox), is on the rise in West and Central Africa1–3. African rodents, especially squirrels, are suspected to be involved in MPXV emergence, but no evidence of a direct transmission to humans or non-human primates has been established4–9. Here we describe an outbreak of MPXV in a group of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire). The outbreak affected one-third of the group, killing four infants. To track its origin, we analysed rodents and wildlife carcasses from the region. We identified a MPXV-infected fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus), found dead 3 km from the mangabey territory 12 weeks before the outbreak. MPXV genomes from the squirrel and the mangabey were nearly identical. A video record from 2014 showed a mangabey from this group eating the same squirrel species and diet metabarcoding of faecal samples collected from mangabeys before the outbreak identified two samples containing fire-footed rope squirrel DNA. One of these samples was also the first positive for MPXV. This represents a rare case of direct detection of interspecies transmission. Our findings indicate that rope squirrels were the source of the MPXV outbreak in mangabeys. Because squirrels and non-human primates are hunted, traded and consumed by humans in West and Central Africa exposure to these animals probably represents risk for zoonotic transmission
of MPXV.
Santé Animale
Faune sauvage et réservoirs
To date, only two rodent-borne hantaviruses have been detected in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we report the detection of a yet unknown hantavirus in a Natal mastomys (Mastomys natalensis) in Méliandou, Guinea, in 2014. The phylogenetic placement of this virus suggests that it might represent a cross-order spillover event from an unknown bat or eulipotyphlan host