Detection of Ebola Virus Antibodies in Fecal Samples of Great Apes in Gabon

Based on a large study conducted on wild great ape fecal samples collected in regions of Gabon where previous human outbreaks of Ebola virus disease have occurred between 1994 and 2002, we provide evidence for prevalence of <i>Zaire ebolavirus</i> (EBOV)-specific antibodies of 3.9% (immu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Viruses
Main Authors: Illich M. Mombo, Matthieu Fritz, Pierre Becquart, Florian Liegeois, Eric Elguero, Larson Boundenga, Telstar N. Mebaley, Franck Prugnolle, Gael D. Maganga, Eric M. Leroy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Subjects:
great ape
Ebola
Africa
Luminex
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/12/1347
Description
Summary:Based on a large study conducted on wild great ape fecal samples collected in regions of Gabon where previous human outbreaks of Ebola virus disease have occurred between 1994 and 2002, we provide evidence for prevalence of <i>Zaire ebolavirus</i> (EBOV)-specific antibodies of 3.9% (immunoglobulin G (IgG)) and 3.5% (immunoglobulin M (IgM)) in chimpanzees and 8.8% (IgG) and 2.4% (IgM) in gorillas. Importantly, we observed a high local prevalence (31.2%) of anti-EBOV IgG antibodies in gorilla samples. This high local rate of positivity among wild great apes raises the question of a spatially and temporally localized increase in EBOV exposure risk and the role that can be played by these animals as sentinels of the virus’s spread or reemergence in a given area.
ISSN:1999-4915

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