Sero-surveillance of emerging viral diseases in camels and cattle in Nouakchott, Mauritania: an abattoir study.

This study reports the monitoring of several emerging viral pathogens in Mauritania, which was carried out by the analysis of bovine and camel samples taken at the slaughterhouse of Nouakchott. Blood and serum were collected by random sampling from 159 camels and 118 cattle in March 2013 at the large animals abattoir in Nouakchott. Serological tests for Rift Valley Fever (RVF), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), West Nile disease (WND), epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) and African horse sickness (AHS) were carried out using commercial ELISA kits. The samples, which resulted positives for PPR, WND and AHS, were tested with the confirmatory virus neutralization test (VNT). According to ELISA results, serological prevalence of RVF was 45% (95% CI 52.3-37.7) in camels and 16% (95% CI 22.6-9.4) in cattle. The difference between the observed prevalences in camels and in cattle was significant (p value ≤ 0.01). PPR was absent in camels and had 12% prevalence (95% CI, 17.86-6.14) in cattle. Furthermore, camels showed 92% (95% CI, 96.1-87.9) prevalence of WNV, 73% (95% CI, 82.3-63.64) of EHD and 3% (95% CI, 5.6-0.4) of AHS. This data are of relevance since provided useful feedbacks on the circulation of the pathogens in field. Moreover, this survey provided new information on the susceptibility of camels to several emerging pathogens and on the possible use of this species as sentinel animal.

Serological and genomic evidence of Rift Valley fever virus during inter-epidemic periods in Mauritania.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging pathogen of major concern throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, affecting both livestock and humans. In the past recurrent epidemics were reported in Mauritania and studies focused on the analysis of samples from affected populations during acute outbreaks. To verify characteristics and presence of RVFV during non-epidemic periods we implemented a multi-stage serological and molecular analysis. Serum samples of small ruminants, cattle and camels were obtained from Mauritania during an inter-epidemic period in 2012-2013. This paper presents a comparative analysis of potential variations and shifts of antibody presence and the capability of inter-epidemic infections in Mauritanian livestock. We observed distinct serological differences between tested species (seroprevalence: small ruminants 3·8%, cattle 15·4%, camels 32·0%). In one single bovine from Nouakchott, a recent RVF infection could be identified by the simultaneous detection of IgM antibodies and viral RNA. This study indicates the occurrence of a low-level enzootic RVFV circulation in livestock in Mauritania. Moreover, results indicate that small ruminants can preferably act as sentinels for RVF surveillance.

Molecular and serological studies on the Rift Valley fever outbreak in Mauritania in 2010.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a vector-borne RNA virus affecting humans, livestock and wildlife. In October/November 2010, after a period of unusually heavy rainfall, a Rift Valley fever outbreak occurred in northern Mauritania causing clinical cases in cattle, sheep, goats and camels, 21 of which were of lethal outcome. The aim of this study was to obtain further information on the continuation of RVF virus activity and spread in animal species in Mauritania after this outbreak. We therefore tested sera from small ruminants, cattle and camels for the presence of viral RNA and antibodies against RVFV. These sera were collected in different parts of the country from December 2010 to February 2011 and tested with three different ELISAs and an indirect immunofluorescence assay. The results show a high seroprevalence of RVFV IgM and IgG antibodies of about 57% in all animals investigated. Moreover, in four camel sera, viral RNA was detected emphasizing the important role camels played during the latest RVF outbreak in Mauritania. The study demonstrates the continuous spread of RVFV in Mauritania after initial emergence and highlights the potential role of small ruminants and camels in virus dissemination.