"Absence of Mammarenavirus RNA among their Natural Rodent and Potential other Reservoirs in Wildlife in Gabon"

Abstract

LCMV RNA has been detected both in its natural host reservoir, the house mouse Mus musculus , and other rodent species in Gabon. In addition, many pathogenic and nonpathogenic Mammarenavirus reservoirs are also present in the country; suggesting that other arenaviruses should be present together with new virus hosts. Considering the importance of rodent-born arenaviruses for human health, we look for the presence of these viruses in rodents, bats and bushmeats collected in the entire Gabonese territory. Here we failed to detect arenaviruses RNA in all the tested samples. This absence can be explained by several hypotheses: (i) the geographical hypothesis, (ii) the genetic structure of the host that can impact viral distribution, (iii) the relationship between host density and the presence of the virus, (iv) the dilution effect, and (v) the detection method used. To get more information about the circulation of arenaviruses and their host reservoirs in Gabon, it is necessary to both enrich collected animals and make additional analyses. The enrichment is related to the increased number and diversity of animal species and the extension of the collection to all periods of the year. Additional analyses should be: (i) the use of complementary specific multiplex systems of PCR targeting both segments of arenaviruses, (ii) serological analyses and Whole Genome Sequencing technologies.