title: Ticks and tick-borne viruses from livestock hosts in arid and semiarid regions of the eastern and northeastern parts of Kenya.
abstract: Biodiversity and relative abundance of ticks and associated arboviruses in Garissa (northeastern) and Isiolo (eastern) provinces of Kenya were evaluated. Ticks were collected from livestock, identified to species, pooled, and processed for virus isolation. In Garissa, Rhipicephalus pulchellus Gerstacker (57.8%) and Hyalomma truncatum Koch (27.8%) were the most abundant species sampled, whereas R. pulchellus (80.4%) and Amblyomma gemma Donitz (9.6%) were the most abundant in Isiolo. Forty-four virus isolates, comprising Dugbe virus (DUGV; n = 22) and Kupe virus (n = 10; Bunyaviridae: Nirovirus), Dhori virus (DHOV; n = 10; Orthomyxoviridae: Thogotovirus),and Ngari virus (NRIV; n = 2; Bunyaviridae: Orthobunyavirus), were recovered mostly from R. pulchellus sampled in Isiolo. DUGV was mostly recovered from R. pulchellus from sheep and cattle, and DHOV from R. pulchellus from sheep. All Kupe virus isolates were from Isiolo ticks, including R. pulchellus from all the livestock, A. gemma and Amblyomma variegatum F. from cattle, and H. truncatum from goat. NRIV was obtained from R. pulchellus and A. gemma sampled from cattle in Isiolo and Garissa, respectively, while all DHOV and most DUGV (n = 12) were from R. pulchellus sampled from cattle in Garissa. DUGV was also recovered from H. truncatum and Amblyomma hebraeum Koch from cattle and from Rhipicephalus annulatus Say from camel. This surveillance study has demonstrated the circulation of select tick-borne viruses in parts of eastern and northeastern provinces of Kenya, some of which are of public health importance. The isolation of NRIV from ticks is particularly significant because it is usually known to be a mosquito-borne virus affecting humans.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P. O. Box 54628, Nairobi 00100, Kenya. joel.lutomiah@usamru-k.org
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lutomiah
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Musila
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Albina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makio
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ochieng
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Hellen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koka
authors.affiliation: Integrated Vector & Disease Management, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P. O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chepkorir
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mutisya
authors.affiliation: Integrated Vector & Disease Management, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P. O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mulwa
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Samoel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khamadi
authors.affiliation: Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Foothills Campus, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
authors.forename: Barry R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Research Unit, Kisumu 40100, Kenya.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bast
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging Infectious Disease, US Army Medical Research Unit, Kenya, P. O.Box 606-00621, Village Market, Nairobi 00621, Kenya.
authors.forename: Eyako K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Wurapa
authors.affiliation: Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P. O. Box 54628, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D002162:Camelus / Q000469:parasitology; D002417:Cattle; D006041:Goats / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D012756:Sheep / Q000469:parasitology; D013987:Ticks / Q000821:virology*