title: Orthopoxvirus infection among wildlife in Zambia.
abstract: Human monkeypox is a viral zoonosis caused by monkeypox virus, an orthopoxvirus (OPXV). The majority of human monkeypox cases have been reported in moist forested regions in West and Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this study we investigated zoonotic OPXV infection among wild animals in Zambia, which shares a border with DRC, to assess the geographical distribution of OPXV. We screened for OPXV antibodies in sera from non-human primates (NHPs), rodents and shrews by ELISA, and performed real-time PCR to detect OPXV DNA in spleen samples. Serological analysis indicated that 38 of 259 (14.7 %) rodents, 14 of 42 (33.3 %) shrews and 4 of 188 (2.1 %) NHPs had antibodies against OPXV. The OPXV DNA could not be detected in spleens from any animals tested. Our results indicated that wild animals living in rural human habitation areas of Zambia have been infected with OPXV.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Pathobiology, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Orba
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Pathobiology, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
authors.forename: Michihito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Pathobiology, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Hokudai Center for Zoonosis Control in Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: Hokudai Center for Zoonosis Control in Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Hokudai Center for Zoonosis Control in Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Bernard M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hang'ombe
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Aaron S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mweene
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saijo
authors.affiliation: Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.|Division of Molecular Pathobiology, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018155:Orthopoxvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011213:Poxviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011323:Primates; D012377:Rodentia; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012788:Shrews; D013154:Spleen / Q000821:virology; D019371:Topography, Medical; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral