No evidence of mpox virus circulation in putative animal reservoirs in Gabon wildlife.

OBJECTIVES: Mpox is a neglected viral endemic tropical disease in Central and Western African countries transmitted to humans by an animal. However, the natural reservoir of the virus remains elusive. In this study, we looked for potential reservoirs of the mpox virus (MPXV) in Gabonese wildlife to prevent future outbreaks and enrich the literature with additional data on animal reservoirs. METHODS: DNA was extracted from the livers and spleens from 2549 animals (bats [859], bushmeats [356], rodents [1309], and shrews [25]) collected between 2012 and 2021. DNA was analyzed by real-time and conventional polymerase chain reaction, targeting the 14 kD protein and the rpo subunit RNA polymerase of orthopoxviruses. RESULTS: No MPXV DNA was detected despite the presence of potential host reservoirs such as Critcetomys, Crocidura, Praomys, and Atherurus africanus. This absence could be due to (i) the low number of animals collected for some species, (ii) the acute nature of mpox infection but also (iii) the lack of the potential reservoir Funisciurus anerythrus among collected animals, and (iv) the fact that the samplings are not included in the probable ecological niche of MPXV. CONCLUSION: Longitudinal studies including potential ecological niches of F. anerythrus and MPXV in Gabon may be useful to get more information on MPXV circulation.

Epidemiology of first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, from March to April 2020, in Gabon.

Background After the first cases of coronaviruses disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China in January 2020, we conducted an epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19 in Gabon. Methods We led molecular investigations on nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples from the 1161 first suspected cases of COVID-19. We diagnosed the first case of COVID-19 on March, 12 2020. Results Among those suspected cases, 83 were confirmed cases. There was no significant difference in prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 between age groups (p=0.14). 73% were asymptomatic. The viral loads were significantly higher in the nasopharyngeal samples than in the oropharyngeal samples (p=0.03). There was no significant difference in viral loads between age groups (p=0.9895) and no correlation between clinical symptoms and viral loads (p=0.06042). A phylogenetic analysis performed with five sequences of the spike S gene showed that two sequences had the D614G mutation. Conclusion In conclusion, this study provides the first molecular data from Gabon concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. The data showed that most of the infected people were asymptomatic. The viral load was higher in the nasopharyngeal samples. The S gene analyzed suggested both introduction of the D614 and G614 variant in Gabon.