Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract. Introduction to lassa fever world health organization. A historical look at the first reported cases of lassa. The causative virus is an arenavirus and is harbored by a rat, mastomys natalensis.
This page lists the evag products having been related to the lassa virus virus name. Improved detection of lassa virus by reverse transcriptionpcr targeting the 5 region of s rna article pdf available in journal of clinical microbiology 486. Late rainy and early dry season affects all age groups and both sexes. It has also been found that most cases of lassa fever occur as the seasons change from dry to wet. Lassa virus synonyms, lassa virus pronunciation, lassa virus translation, english dictionary definition of lassa virus. Cette maladie a ete decouverte en 1969 lorsque deux infirmieres missionnaires sont mortes au nigeria.
Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. The multimammate rat mastomys natalensis is the only known reservoir of lasv. Lassa fever is a viral illness that originated in west africa in 1969. Lassa mammarenavirus lasv is an arenavirus that causes lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever vhf, in humans and other primates. Lassa virus the rna virus that causes lassa fever arenavirus animal viruses belonging to the family arenaviridae arenaviridae a family of. How does the virus infect the body and move from host to host. Mar 14, 2016 lassa fever infects an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 individuals in west africa each year and around 5,000 result in death. Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness caused by an arenavirus lassa virus first isolated in 1969 from patients in nigeria. Against the backdrop of the raging lassa fever virus, the redeemers university, run, ede, osun state, has developed a test kit known as panlassa rapid diagnostics test pl. Lassa antibody and antigen were found in 96 11% and 46 5%, respectively, of 884 tested mastomys demby et al. Media in category lassa virusthe following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. What you need to know about lassa fever 6 april 6 april 6 april 6 april 6 april 6 april 6 april estimated number of lassa fever cases in west africa each year death rate from ebola death rate from lassa fever estimated number of deaths lassa fever is caused by a virus that is found in west africa. Improved detection of lassa virus by reverse transcriptionpcr targeting. Feb 06, 20 lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa.
The virus is a member of the arenavirus family and is spread primarily by rodents. Natal multimammate mouse is the primary reservoir of lassa virus, found in subsaharan africa. However, the full extent of lassas endemicity is unknown due to poor mean of contact and communication with the rural villages where lassa is surely seen, a factor that prevents both reporting and treatment of infection. It was first reported in 1969 in the town of lassa, in borno state, nigeria. It is endemic in west african countries, especially sierra leone, the republic of guinea, nigeria, and. However, the full extent of lassas endemicity is unknown due to poor mean of contact and communication with the rural villages where lassa is surely seen, a factor that prevents both reporting and. Emond rt, bannister b, lloyd g, southee tj, bowen et. In 1972, the rodent reservoir of lassa virus was identified as the multimammate rat mastomys natalensis. Started in 1995, this collection now contains 6767 interlinked topic pages divided into a tree of 31 specialty books and 732 chapters.
A new virus carried by programs embedded in adobes pdf file format files raises concerns that the format itself could become susceptible to viruses. Details of lassa virus structure could inform development of. Campbell2 and stefan kunz1 1institute of microbiology, lausanne university hospital and university of lausanne, lausanne, switzerland. To facilitate the functional analysis of this virus, a replicon system was developed based on lassa virus strain av.
Only 20% of people who contract lassa fever have severe multisystem trauma, meaning that 80% of people have only the milder symptoms. A historical look at the first reported cases of lassa fever. Jun 02, 2017 lassa virus can cause a hemorrhagic disease called lassa fever and is endemic to western africa. Chemotherapy of lassa virus infection springerlink. Lassa virus article about lassa virus by the free dictionary. Lassa virus is endemic to west africa and causes hemorrhagic fever in humans. Clinical description and pathogenesis of lassa fever. Pathophysiology and treatment of lassa fever springerlink. Details of lassa virus structure could inform development.
As i was reading in my research, i began to realize the risk the virus has on people. The above image is 500 pixels across, the original measures 5000 pixels across. The centers for disease control and prevention estimates that up to 300,000 lassa virus infections occur each year. Cell entry of lassa virus induces tyrosine phosphorylation. Outside of the case at emory university hospital, there have been six other cases of lassa fever reported in the united states. An old world arenavirus that causes fever in human and nonhuman primates. They are enveloped greenish layer in this image and studded with red protein spikes. Lassa virus is transmitted by the multimammate rat, also known as mastomys natalensis. Infection with lassa virus in humans may take many forms. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring biosafety level 4equivalent containment.
Lassa virus is a member of the old world arenaviruses, and, as such, is endemic in western africa. General facts viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the arenavirus lassa transmitted from rodents to humans discovered in nigeria, 1969 endemic in portions of west africa seasonal clustering. There is no risk of primary infection with lassa virus in community. Lassa virus has an incubation period of 124 days and death usually occurs within 12 days after the onset. The lassa virus is a contagious virus that causes headaches, muscle pain, facial swelling, hearing loss, and possibly, death. Beneath the envelope lipid bilayer lies the matrix protein z protein, shown in blue and deeper to this the rnp shown in yellow. Most human infections result from zoonotic transmission. Lassa virus, which is a member of the arenaviridae virus family, causes acute viral hemorrhagic fever. Immune responses and lassa virus infection europe pmc. It is a singlestranded rna virus of the arenaviridae family, and it is animal borne. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable.
Lassa virus is a virulent and highly transmissible rna virus that belongs to the arenavirus group. Lassa virus infection in man may be followed by a spectrum of disease that. Lassa fever lf belongs to a group of viral hemorrhagic fevers characterized by a febrile syndrome and high casefatality rates. This page was last edited on 2 december 2018, at 18. Lassa virus lasv is a member of the old world complex of viruses, genus arenavirus, family arenaviridae, which also includes lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus lcmv and lujo virus. Late rainy and early dry season affects all age groups and both sexes 3. Pdf the method of choice for the detection of lassa virus is reverse transcription rtpcr. Lassa fever by carly brown discovery john frame 1969 collaborated with yale arbovirus research unit typestructure arenaviridae family spherical lipid membrane singlestranded rna transportation zoonotic hostmultimammate rat genus mastomys person to person transportationcont. The reservoir of the lassa virus is a rodent of the genus mastomys known as. The search engine above will seek products into the complete catalogue.
The newest way to fight ovarian cancer might just be a. Lassa virus was isolated from the sierra leone case. A new virus carried by programs embedded in adobes pdf file format files raises concerns that the. Sequence variability and geographic distribution of lassa. The very diverse lasv genome has 4 major lineages associated with different geographic locations. Cases of lassa fever in the netherlands ex sierra leone ecdc. The clinical disease begins as a flulike illness characterized by fever, general weakness, and malaise, which may be accompanied by cough, sore throat, and severe headache. Lassa virus can cause a hemorrhagic disease called lassa fever and is endemic to western africa. It is endemic in parts of west africa including sierra leone, liberia, guinea and nigeria. The virus is spread to humans via the rats urine in airborne. It is an acute febrile viral illness lasting one to four weeks, and it occurs in west africa and some areas beyond. Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses like ebola virus, marburg virus, and others unlike ebola virus, lassa fever is not as contagious person to person, nor as deadly lassa virus is typically transmitted by the urine or feces of mastomys rats to humans. Lassa virus a taxonomic species within the genus arenavirus endemic in west africa, responsible for lassa hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates. Johnson km, mccormick jb, webb pa, smith es, elliott lh, king ij.
Lassa virus was discovered in 1969 by a team led by dr. Lassa fever, also known as lassa hemorrhagic fever lhf, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the lassa virus. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. Such infections are often asymptomatic, but in those who become ill, the disease can range from an uncomplicated fever of unknown origin to a fulminating hemorrhagic disease. Lassa is named after the town in which it was discovered. National notifiable diseases surveillance system nndss note. While lassa fever is mild or has no observable symptoms in about 80% of people infected with the virus, the remaining 20% have a more severe multisystem. The incubation period of lassa fever ranges from 7 to 21 days 34,58. The lassa virus is a vulgar virus with a high mortality rate and an expensive cure. Lassa was strange to me because i have never heard of the virus before. The disease was first recognized in lassa, nigeria, in 1969. Lassa fever lf is an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in west africa.
Neighboring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for lassa virus. Since then, human infection and disease have been observed in five other countries in west africa, and related viruses have been isolated from. Mastomys rats infected with lassa virus do not become ill, but they can shed the virus in their urine and faeces. The risk of getting lassa fever in the united states is extremely low signs and symptoms of lassa fever are usually mild lassa fever can be treated if a healthcare worker suspects lassa fever in a patient, a laboratory test can diagnose the disease. Lassa virus, the causative agent of lassa fever, is a member of the family arenaviridae. Lassa virus definition of lassa virus by the free dictionary. The additional filters enable you with creating a subselection of items of this list. The center of disease control and prevention has confirmed a case of lassa fever at emory university hospital. Mar 22, 1974 the mobile unit was used once before, in an outbreak of lassa fever in sierra leone in 1972, when dr. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Lassa fever is an illness caused by lassa virus, a singlestranded rna hemorrhagic fever virus from the family arenaviridae. Lassa viruses are ss rna viruses family arenaviridae causing severe haemorrhagic disease cf ebola haemorrhagic disease. Cell entry of lassa virus induces tyrosine phosphorylation of dystroglycan marielaurence moraz,1 christelle pythoud,1 rolf turk,2 sylvia rothenberger,1 antonella pasquato,1 kevin p. Despite the paucity of autopsied cases, the existing reports do represent a well documented sample.
The multimammate mouse mastomys natalensis is the only known nonhuman host for lassa virus monath et al. The mobile unit was used once before, in an outbreak of lassa fever in sierra leone in 1972, when dr. Health workers may be infected by direct contact with blood, body fluids, urine, or stool of a patient with lassa fever. Lassa virus definition of lassa virus by medical dictionary. Lassa virus lasv is endemic to parts of west africa and causes highly fatal hemorrhagic fever. Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used to successfully treat patients with lassa fever. A taxonomic species within the genus arenavirus endemic in west africa, responsible for lassa hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates.
Diagnosis of lassa fever and the isolation and management. Lf differs from most viral hemorrhagic fevers in that it is endemic to a large geographic area of subsaharan africa. The rodents shed the virus in their urine and droppings. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Kent campbell, an epidemiologist at the at lanta center, developed a mysterious high fever.
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