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Studies on Rift Valley fever in some African murids (Rodentia: Muridae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

R. Swanepoel ,
N. K. Blackburn ,
S. Efstratiou  and
J. B. Condy
R. Swanepoel
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 8101, Causeway, Salisbury, Rhodesia
N. K. Blackburn
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 8101, Causeway, Salisbury, Rhodesia
S. Efstratiou
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 8101, Causeway, Salisbury, Rhodesia
J. B. Condy
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 8101, Causeway, Salisbury, Rhodesia
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Brains, spleens and livers of 2212 murids, 27 shrews and 7 dormice, trapped at 7 sites in Rhodesia, were tested in 277 pools for the presence of Rift Valley Fever virus. There were no isolations of Rift Valley Fever, but 69 isolations of an unidentified virus were obtained. Sixteen out of 867 sera had low-titre haemagglutination-inhibition activity against Rift Valley Fever antigen, but only one out of 1260 sera had neutralizing antibody. The evidence suggests that murids fail to encounter infection in nature and are unlikely to play a role in circulation and dissemination of Rift Valley Fever virus. Four out of seven widely distributed species of murid, Rhabdomys pumilio, Saccostomys campestris, Aethomys chrysophilus and Lemniscomys griselda, were shown to be capable of circulating amounts of virus likely to be infective for mosquitoes.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 80 , Issue 2 , April 1978 , pp. 183 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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