title: Tickborne arbovirus surveillance in market livestock, Nairobi, Kenya.
abstract: To identify tickborne viruses circulating in Kenya and the surrounding region, we conducted surveillance at abattoirs in Nairobi, Kenya. Species of ticks collected included Rhipicephalus pulchellus (56%), Amblyomma gemma (14%), R. appendiculatus (8%), A. variegatum (6%), and others. A total of 56 virus isolates were obtained, 26 from A. gemma, 17 from R. pulchellus, 6 from A. variegatum, and 7 from other species. Virus isolates included Dugbe virus (DUGV), an unknown virus related to DUGV, Thogoto, Bhanja, Kadam, Dhori, Barur, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMDV) viruses. This is the first report of Dhori virus isolation in East Africa and the first known isolation of FMDV associated with tick collection. Our results demonstrate the potential for tickborne dissemination of endemic and emergent viruses and the relevance of A. gemma in the maintenance of tickborne viruses in this region.
authors.affiliation: Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sang
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Onyango
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gachoya
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mabinda
authors.forename: Samson
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konongoi
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ofula
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dunster
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Okoth
authors.forename: Rodney
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coldren
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tesh
authors.forename: Amelia Travassos
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: da Rossa
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finkbeiner
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crabtree
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000821:virology*; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002417:Cattle; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D013987:Ticks / Q000821:virology*