gms | German Medical Science

The majority of infectious diseases in humans are zoonoses and originate from wildlife. Many factors such as the climate, land-use practices or social ecological aspects influence the risk of exposure and therefore, the cross-species spillover of pathogens with zoonotic potential. This also applies to corona-, henipa- and filoviruses, which have a broad host range, especially high zoonotic potential with severe disease in humans and thus, the potential to cause/ignite major epidemics up to pandemics. Despite the wide distribution and high risk for human health, there still is few data about potential hosts and reservoirs of corona-, henipa- and filoviruses in tropical settings. Micromammals (rodents and shrews) are not only known for carrying a high diversity of pathogens, they are also widely distributed in varied habitats, often in close contact to humans in urban habitats as well as to livestock or wildlife in rural or forest areas, overall with high risk for pathogens crossing species-barriers and human transmission. To prevent the spread and spillover of the above mentioned viruses and initiate a risk assessment, it is important to get a better knowledge of distribution and characteristics of these viruses and their transmission. Therefore, our aim is to evaluate if micromammals carry corona-, henipa-, and filoviruses, viruses with zoonotic potential, in tropical countries.

For that purpose, we will perform sampling and screening of micromammals in Guinea, as a hotspot of emerging infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. For representative results, tissue and blood samples will be collected from different regions of the country, including rural, urban and forest areas. Already existing molecular detection tools as well as newly established, serological methods will be used for analyses. To ensure the detection of a broad range of corona-, henipa- and filoviruses, PanCoronavirus-, PanParamyxovirus-, and PanFilovirus-PCR will be used for viral RNA detection. Positives will be further characterized through MinION sequencing using the SISPA approach.

The better knowledge about the role of micromammals as a reservoir for these viruses can support the risk assessment of transmission from reservoir species to humans and is therefore of great importance for the prevention and preparedness of potential outbreaks. Overall, during the project, the implementation of cutting-edge tools will serve in future surveillance studies to continue to shed light on the role of micromammals in the transmission cycle of these viruses.