An exploration of the protective effect of rodent species richness on the geographical expansion of Lassa fever in West Africa.
<h4>Background</h4>Lassa fever (LF) is one of the most devastating rodent-borne diseases in West Africa, causing thousands of deaths annually. The geographical expansion of LF is also a concern; cases were recently identified in Ghana and Benin. Previous ecological studies have suggested...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS),
2021-02-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | <h4>Background</h4>Lassa fever (LF) is one of the most devastating rodent-borne diseases in West Africa, causing thousands of deaths annually. The geographical expansion of LF is also a concern; cases were recently identified in Ghana and Benin. Previous ecological studies have suggested that high natural-host biodiversity reduces the likelihood of spillover transmission of rodent-borne diseases, by suppressing the activities of reservoir species. However, the association of biodiversity with the geographical expansion of LF has not been the subject of epidemiological studies.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We conducted a spatial analysis based on sociodemographic, geographical, and ecological data, and found that higher rodent species richness was significantly associated with a lower risk of LF emergence in West Africa from 2008 to 2017 (Odds Ratio = 0.852, 95% Credible Interval = 0.745-0.971).<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The results reinforce the importance of the 'One Health' approach by demonstrating that a high level of biodiversity could benefit human health. |
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| Item Description: | 1935-2727 1935-2735 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009108 |