부산대학교 도서관

Background: Arboviruses are transmitted by arthropods with humans becoming infected during blood feeding by infected mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies. Characterization of arbovirus circulation and transmission in industrialized countries has been well documented, but there are many knowledge gaps in developing nations. Entomological surveys conducted so far have indicated circulation of arboviruses of significant public health importance in Aedes, Anopheles and Culex species in vast populations in Kenya, suggesting the presence of competent vector systems. Methods & Materials: The human involvement in the transmission cycle of these viruses has, however, not been demonstrated. This study sought to determine the circulation of a range of arboviruses including Chikungunya, Dengue, Sindbis, Sandfly Naples, Sandfly Sicilian, Uganda S, West Nile and Zika viruses in Ijara and Marigat Districts where vector surveillance has been done. Results: A total of 351 patient serum samples were analyzed for presence of antibodies using IgG ELISA. Of these, 190 (54.2%) were female and 161 (45.8%) were female, with ages ranging between 1 and 73. These were hospital based patients who presented to the hospital with fever of unknown origin. The overall arbovirus percentage circulation among these patients was 53/351 (15.1%) with 7% (10/143) in Marigat and 21% (43/208) in Ijara. Of the positives, flaviviruses were 69%, alpha viruses 29.6% and bunyaviruses 1.4%. Uganda S virus was the highest in circulation at 10%, followed by West Nile virus 6%, Sindbis 5%, Dengue 2%, Chikungunya 1.1%, Sandfly Naples 0.2% respectively. Semliki-forest virus-specific antibodies were detected by plaque reduction neutralization test in 3/351 (0.85%) persons tested. Antibodies against Sandfly Sicilian and Zika viruses were not detected. This study constitutes the first detection of antibodies against Sandfly Naples virus in Kenya. Conclusion: The study has demonstrated the presence of antibodies against selected arboviruses in the two sites amongst the human population. These findings will improve our understanding of the impact of arboviruses on public health in the region so that preventive actions and awareness among clinicians can be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]