Abstract
Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic to several nations in West Africa. In Mali, LASV was unknown until an exported case of Lassa fever was reported in 2009. Since that time, rodent surveys have found evidence of LASV-infected Mastomys natalensis rats in several communities in southern Mali, near the border with Côte d'Ivoire. Despite increased awareness, to date only a single case of Lassa fever has been confirmed in Mali. We conducted a survey to determine the prevalence of LASV exposure among persons in 3 villages in southern Mali where the presence of infected rodents has been documented. LASV IgG seroprevalence ranged from 14.5% to 44% per village. No sex bias was noted; however, seropositivity rates increased with participant age. These findings confirm human LASV exposure in Mali and suggest that LASV infection/Lassa fever is a potential public health concern in southern Mali.
Highlights
Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic to several nations in West Africa
Overall village-specific LASV seroprevalence correlated with previous results of rodent surveys [17]
LASV has most likely been present in southern Mali for several hundred years [21,22]
Summary
Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic to several nations in West Africa. In Mali, LASV was unknown until an exported case of Lassa fever was reported in 2009. Rodent surveys have found evidence of LASV-infected Mastomys natalensis rats in several communities in southern Mali, near the border with Côte d’Ivoire. We conducted a survey to determine the prevalence of LASV exposure among persons in 3 villages in southern Mali where the presence of infected rodents has been documented. The infection was initially diagnosed as Plasmodium falciparum malaria, even though the patient did not respond to treatment for malaria He died on arrival in London, and a postmortem diagnosis of LASV infection was confirmed by molecular techniques. In response to this case, rodent surveys were conducted in the village of Soromba (rural commune of Sibirila, Bougouni district, Mali), where the man was living and working when he became ill. 20% of peridomestic Mastomys rodents collected in these villages had serologic or molecular evidence of LASV infection, with peak prevalence rates >50%
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