Abstract
BackgroundFactors related to the natural transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) to humans are still not well defined. Results of previous sero-prevalence studies suggest that circulation of EBOV in human population is common in sub-Saharan Africa. The Efé pygmies living in Democratic Republic of the Congo are known to be exposed to potential risk factors of EBOV infection such as bush meat hunting, entry into caves, and contact with bats. We studied the pygmy population of Watsa region to determine seroprevalence to EBOV infection and possible risks factors.MethodVolunteer participants (N = 300) aged 10 years or above were interviewed about behavior that may constitute risk factors for transmission of EBOV, including exposures to rats, bats, monkeys and entry into caves. Samples of venous blood were collected and tested for IgG antibody against EBOV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The χ2-test and Fisher’s exact test were used for the comparison of proportions and the Student’s t-test to compare means. The association between age group and anti-EBOV IgG prevalence was analysed by a nonparametric test for trend.ResultsThe prevalence of anti-EBOV IgG was 18.7 % overall and increased significantly with age (p = 0.023). No association was observed with exposure to risk factors (contacts with rats, bats, monkeys, or entry into caves).ConclusionsThe seroprevalence of IgG antibody to EBOV in pygmies in Watsa region is among the highest ever reported, but it remains unclear which exposures might lead to this high infection rate calling for further ecological and behavioural studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1607-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Factors related to the natural transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) to humans are still not well defined
The seroprevalence of IgG antibody to EBOV in pygmies in Watsa region is among the highest ever reported, but it remains unclear which exposures might lead to this high infection rate calling for further ecological and behavioural studies
In other settings where nonhuman primates (NHP) or other wildlife were not identified as the cause of outbreaks, epidemiological investigations based on information available from index cases have suggested that bats might be a source of Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak [5, 6]
Summary
Factors related to the natural transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) to humans are still not well defined. In other settings where nonhuman primates (NHP) or other wildlife were not identified as the cause of outbreaks (e.g., in DRC, Uganda, and Sudan), epidemiological investigations based on information available from index cases have suggested that bats might be a source of EVD outbreak [5, 6] This hypothesis has been supported by the discovery of EBOV viral gene sequences from fruit bat species, and others bats have been found to be seropositive for EBOV antigens [7]. Fruit bats were suggested as possible original source of infection based on the ecological investigation of the current EVD outbreak in Western African countries [8] It remains unclear how bats or other carriers transmit the virus to humans, NHPs, or other non-identified hosts, and the parameters that lead to the occurrence of outbreaks remain to be determined
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