Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol | Volume 2, Issue 3 | Research Article | Open Access
Jean François Saluzzo1, Tom Vincent2, Jay Miller3, Francisco Veas4 and Jean-Paul Gonzalez5*
1Fab’entech, Lyon, France
2O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA
3,Department of Infectious Disease, Health Security Partners, Washington, DC, USA
4Laboratoire d’Immunophysiopathologie Moléculaire Comparée-UMR- Ministère de la Défense3, Institute de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
5Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Disease, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
*Correspondance to: Jean-Paul Gonzalez
Fulltext PDFThe progressive research on yellow fever and the subsequent emergence of the field of arbovirology in the 1950s gave rise to the continued development of a global arbovirus surveillance network with a specific focus on human pathogenic arboviruses of the tropical zone. Though unknown at the time, some of the arboviruses studies would emerge within the temperate zone decades later (e.g.: West Nile, Zika, Chikungunya). However, initial research by the surveillance network was heavily focused on the discovery, isolation, and characterization of numerous arbovirus species. Global arboviral surveillance has revealed a cryptic circulation of several arboviruses, mainly in wild cycles of the tropical forest. Although there are more than 500 registered arbovirus species, a mere one third has proved to be pathogenic to humans (CDC, 2015). Indeed, most known arboviruses did not initially demonstrate a pathogenicity to humans or other vertebrates, and were considered “orphans” (i.e. without known of vertebrate hosts). As a part of this global surveillance network, the Institut Pasteur International Network has endeavored to understand the role played by arboviruses in the etiology of febrile syndromes of unknown origin as one of its research missions. Here, we report how The Pasteur Institute of Bangui (Institut Pasteur Bangui, or IPB) in the Central African Republic (CAR) actively participated in this mission and conducted an arbovirus survey from 1973 to 1993 that led to the isolation of 297 virus strains from 409,877 mosquitoes belonging to 78 different species. Ultimately, 24 new virus species were identified among these isolated strains, including two new orphan arboviruses Bozo, Bouboui, and two other unidentified arboviruses (ArB 11266 as a flavivirus-like virus and ArD28542 as a bunyavirus-like virus).The findings of this important, unpublished data from this survey are discussed here and give historical context to the recent global emergence and spread of Zika virus out of Africa. During its long journey from Africa emergence, into Asia, Oceania, and most recently to the Americas, the Zika virus has shown some significant genetic changes to its potential for pathogenicity. The original data presented here suggests that a significant number of other viruses, circulating in a hidden or discrete wild cycle with vertebrate hosts yet to be identified, represent a constant and undetermined risk of emergence among a nonimmune human population with the possibility for similar natural genetic changes.
Saluzzo JF, Vincent T, Miller J, Veas F, Gonzalez J-P. Arbovirus Discovery in Central African Republic (1973-1993): Zika, Bozo, Bouboui, and More. Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol. 2017;2(3):1022.