Location: Zoonotic and Emerging Disease Research
2023 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Completion of serosurveys. ARS researchers at the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas worked with partners in Sierra Leone and Tanzania to complete an expanded serosurvey. Sample collection was initiated in Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This serosurvey provided the first data characterizing the presence of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in the region. Critical is the finding that the virus may be much more prevalent than previously suspected. This data is essential for local ministries of health and agriculture. The high seroprevelance indicates that persons working closely with livestock in this region are at risk for exposure to this potentially deadly disease and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever should be included in the differential diagnosis in patients with unexplained illness in the region.
2. Training of in country teams. International field teams at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania) and the University of Makeni (Sierra Leone) worked with ARS researchers from the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and received training in tickborne disease surveillance and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, molecular and serologic testing. The training was also completed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo using Research Electronic Data Capture (RedCap), sample collection and processing, and health assessment of animals. These capacity-building efforts are critical to ensure the rapid and accurate diagnosis of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and other zoonotic threats in the region. Training staff to operate safely in the laboratory is another essential aspect of capacity building. Enhancing laboratory safety and capacity in the region will impact far-reaching improvements across public and animal health. The introduction of improved electronic data capture will improve the research quality in the region. The research electronic data capture is a widely used program that, once learned, can be applied to other studies. The use of this program ensures that metadata is readily linked to samples. This protects the data quality and integrity and aids in building a repository of well-characterized samples that may be of future use.
3. Validation and field testing of molecular assays. An antisense reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test (RTPCR) assays for the M and S segments of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus was validated in the labratory and transferred to the field for additional validation. This work was completed between ARS researchers at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and its partners. These tests could improve the diagnosis of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Currently, there are limited assays available and of uncertain quality. The lack of diagnostics limits the ability to test for Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. If validated, these tests will have wide utility in human and animal health.
4. Development of proteomics and next-generation sequencing protocols. New protocols will reduce the error rate and allow the identification of recombinants. This data will be essential for characterizing the viral diversity and viral evolution of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Viral diversity is a challenge for molecular diagnostics. Even minor changes in sequences can significantly impact the performance of assays, potentially compromising their utility. Monitoring of diversity will also be essential for countermeasure development and risk assessment. Developing accurate field deployable strategies will be done between ARS researchers at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and its partners, which will facilitate monitoring in even the most remote regions. The data generated from these efforts will be critical for modeling, transmission, and countermeasure efforts.