title: Low seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to Ebola virus in an epidemic zone: Ogooué-Ivindo region, Northeastern Gabon, 1997.
abstract: A population-based serosurvey was performed to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to Ebola virus (EBO) in a region that has experienced multiple epidemics of EBO hemorrhagic fever. Of 2533 residents in 8 villages, serum samples from 979 (38.6%) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibodies to Ebola-Zaire (EBO-Z) virus. Fourteen samples (1.4%) were found positive for IgG antibodies, and 4 of these (.4%) were samples from survivors of an epidemic of EBO hemorrhagic fever. Seroprevalence based on the remaining 10 IgG-seropositive individuals with no history of exposure to EBO was 1.0% (exact binomial 95% confidence interval, 0.5%-1.9%). No serum samples were found positive for IgM antibodies to EBO-Z virus. The low seroprevalence suggests that, outside of recognized outbreaks, human exposure to EBO in this epidemic zone is rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Heffernan
authors.forename: Bertin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pambo
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hatchett
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Leman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swanepoel
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ryder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005681:Gabon / Q000453:epidemiology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G