Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC202590 (Oral 012) | Published: 08 Aug 2025
Leonce Kouadio1,2,3, Marina Escalera-Zamudio4, Valère Kouame Kouakou5, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann6, Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer2, Fabian Herbert Leendertz2,&
1Université Peleforo GON COULIBALY, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, 2Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald, Allemagne, 3Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 4Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Parks Rd, OX1 3PS, Oxford, United Kingdom, 5Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, 6Laboratory for Innovative Research for Emerging Diseases and Diagnostics, CNRA, NGO One Health for All, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
&Corresponding author:Fabian Herbert Leendertz, Université Peleforo GON COULIBALY, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, Email: fabian.leendertz@helmholtz-hioh.de
Received: 10 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 08 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa Virus; Mastomys natalensis; Côte d’Ivoire
©Leonce Kouadio et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Leonce Kouadio et al., Circulation of Lassa virus in multimammate rats in Northern Côte d’Ivoire. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00012. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00012
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic illness endemic to West Africa, caused by Lassa virus (LASV), a zoonotic pathogen primarily maintained by Mastomys natalensis, a rodent widely distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa. While Lassa fever has been reported in countries such as Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, genome sequences of LASV are not available from all regions. The virus may also be circulating undetected in countries with limited surveillance and diagnostic capabilities, including Côte d’Ivoire.
In a previous investigation, we detected LASV RNA in M. natalensis specimens collected in rural settlements in northern Côte d’Ivoire near the border with Mali. Building on these findings, we conducted an extended rodent sampling campaign in the same region from Korhogo to the border of Mali. Lung samples were screened for LASV, and positive samples were subjected to whole-genome sequencing for genetic characterization.
We report the genomic characterization of thirteen LASV strains isolated from M. natalensis captured in northern Côte d’Ivoire. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the presence of two genetically distinct LASV lineages, suggesting local viral evolution and sustained, previously undetected circulation in the region.
Our findings provide the first genomic data of LASV from Côte d’Ivoire and highlight the importance of continued and expanded surveillance in both rodent reservoirs and human populations. Enhanced genomic monitoring across West Africa is essential to elucidate the evolutionary dynamics, geographic spread, and potential public health threat posed by Lassa.
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