Pathophysiology, treatment, and epidemiology of Lassa fever in Nigeria

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Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Lassa virus. The disease is endemic in West Africa. Hemorrhagic courses of Lassa fever are associated with high mortality. It is estimated that 100,000 to 500,000 infections occur each year as a result of transmission of Lassa virus from its rodent reservoir (Mastomys natalensis) to human. The overall objective of this proposal is the generation of knowledge to control Lassa fever in Africa at various levels: in the hospital, in the community, and the natural reservoir. The results shall be translatable into practice and reduce the burden of Lassa fever in the African environment. According to the overall objective, the approach is multidisciplinary involving virology, epidemiology, public health, genetics, and zoology. Experts in all these fields are included in the proposal either as applicants or as contributing partners. The disciplines are closely linked as all work is focussed on a common study site in Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives extend the objectives of the on-going project and are based on the preliminary results:1. Understanding the role of T cells in the pathophysiology of Lassa fever.2. Determination of incidence of Lassa fever in communities as basis for future vaccine trials.3. Identification of risk factors for transmission of Lassa virus from rodent to human.4. Understanding spatial, temporal and host-specific mutation patterns of the Lassa virus in Mastomys rodents within Nigeria5. Exploring the association between immunogenetics in Mastomys rodents and Lassa virus infection Status.