Extensive serological survey of multiple African non-human primate species reveals low prevalence of Immunoglobulin G antibodies to four Ebola virus species

Ahidjo Ayouba (1, 2) , Steve Ahuka-Mundeke (3) , Christelle Butel (1, 2) , Placide Mbala Kingebeni (3) , Severin Loul , Nikki Tagg , Christian Julián Villabona-Arenas (1, 2) , Audrey Lacroix (1, 2) , Simon-Pierre Ndimbo-Kumugo (3) , Alpha Keita (1, 2, 4) , Abdoulaye Touré (4, 5) , Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann , Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer (6, 7) , Fabian Leendertz (7) , Pierre Formenty (8) , Eric Delaporte (1, 2) , Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum (3) , Martine Peeters (1, 2) , Eitel Mpoudi Ngole

1 TransVIHMI - Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les maladies infectieuses endémiques et émergentes
2 IRD [France-Sud] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
3 INRB - Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale [Kinshasa]
4 CERFIG - Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée
5 Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry
6 Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms
7 RKI - Robert Koch Institute [Berlin]
8 OMS / WHO - Organisation Mondiale de la Santé / World Health Organization Office

Bats are considered a reservoir species for Ebola viruses, but nonhuman primates (NHPs) have represented a source of infection in several outbreaks in humans. Here we report serological screening of blood or fecal samples from monkeys (n = 2322) and apes (n = 2327). Thirty-six NHP species from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ivory Coast were tested with a sensitive and specific Luminex-based assay for immunoglobulin G antibodies to 4 Ebola virus species. Using the simultaneous presence of antibodies to nucleoproteins and glycoproteins to define positivity, we showed that specific Ebola virus antibodies are not widespread among NHPs. Only 1 mustached monkey (Cercopithecus cephus) from Cameroon was positive for Sudan ebolavirus. These observations support that NHPs are most likely intermediate hosts for Ebola viruses. With the increasing frequency of Ebola outbreaks, it is crucial to identify the animal reservoir and understand the ecology of Ebola viruses to inform disease control.

Mots clés: monkey; ape; Africa; Ebola

Domaines: Maladies infectieuses; Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale; Virologie

Ahidjo Ayouba, Steve Ahuka-Mundeke, Christelle Butel, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Severin Loul, et al.. Extensive serological survey of multiple African non-human primate species reveals low prevalence of Immunoglobulin G antibodies to four Ebola virus species. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2019, 220 (10), pp.1599-1608. ⟨10.1093/infdis/jiz006⟩. ⟨hal-02437198⟩