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 (27.2%) and varied according to the ecosystem: 23.7% in forested regions, 21.8% in savanna, and 64.9% in the lakes region. The WNV-specific IgG prevalence rate was 30% in males and 24.6% 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.
Highlights
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
West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae
Serological evidence of human exposure to WNV has been reported in the Central African Republic [5], Cameroon [6] and the Democratic Republic of Congo [7], with IgG prevalence rates ranging from 6.6% to 59%
Summary
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. Serological evidence of human exposure to WNV has been reported in the Central African Republic [5], Cameroon [6] and the Democratic Republic of Congo [7], with IgG prevalence rates ranging from 6.6% to 59%. The human WNV IgG prevalence has not been investigated in Gabon.
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