Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025343 (Oral 089) | Published: 12 Aug 2025
Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon1,&, David Wozniak2,3, Anke Thielebein2,3, Oluwasola Babatunde1, Yemisi Ighodalo1,3, Thomas Olokor1, Rachael Omiunu1, Abubakar Taju1, Mette Hinrichs3, Jonas Müller2,3, Rita Esumeh1, Paulson Ebhodaghe1, Ganiyu Igenegbale1, Rosemary Giwa1, Anieno Ekanem1, Donatus Itsoghiaonode Adomeh1, Sylvanus Okogbenin1, Cyril Erameh1, Joseph Okoguale1, George Akpede1, Mojeed Rafiu1, Kelly Iraoyah1, Osahogie Ediawe1, Peter Okokhere1, Danny Asogun1, Wilson Ovienria1, Nosa Akpede1, Reuben Eifediyi1, Stephan Günther2,3, Lisa Oestereich2,3
1Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria, 2Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Hamburg, Germany, 3German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Hamburg, Lübeck, Borstel, Riems, Germany
&Corresponding author: Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria. Email:epogbaini@yahoo.com
Received: 06 Apr 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 12 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa Fever, Lassa virus, semen, viral shedding, survivors, disease transmission, disease transmission
©Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon 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: Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon et al., Persistence and infectivity of Lassa virus in body fluids: Implications for survivor follow-up and public health. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00089. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00089
Lassa fever is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids during acute infection. However, the persistence and infectivity of Lassa virus (LASV) in body fluids post-recovery remain unclear, raising public health concerns about possible transmission from convalescent led to stigma and discrimination in affected communities. This studindividuals. These concerns have y investigates LASV RNA persistence and infectivity in various body fluids among survivors, aiming to inform post-discharge follow-up protocols and community health education
A prospective longitudinal study was conducted at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, in collaboration with the Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany. Plasma, urine, saliva, lacrimal fluid, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and seminal fluid were collected from Lassa fever survivors at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months post-discharge. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect viral RNA, and infectivity was assessed using cell culture and immunocompromised mice. A linear mixed model was used to analyze RNA persistence dynamics.
At baseline, LASV RNA was detected in plasma (45%), urine (34%), saliva (5%), lacrimal fluid (9%), and vaginal fluid (21%), with viral clearance observed by month 3. However, 80% of male participants (35/44) had detectable LASV RNA in seminal fluid at baseline, with persistence up to month 12. Modeling estimated 10% of males remained positive for up to 193 days post-discharge. Infectious LASV was isolated from seminal fluid in immunocompromised mice for up to 6 months.
LASV RNA may persist in body fluids post-recovery, though infectivity was limited except in seminal fluid, which retained infectious potential for up to 6 months. These findings highlight the need for structured follow-up of male survivors and targeted public health education to reduce transmission risk and stigma.
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