A5053210276- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Poxvirus research and outbreaks
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
2022-2024
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
2024
Indiana University School of Medicine
2024
University of Pretoria
2022-2023
Kenyatta University
2016
International Livestock Research Institute
2016
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
2016
Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) is an arbovirus with a multisegmented genome related to those of unsegmented flaviviruses. The first described in
Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is the causative agent of CCHF, a fatal viral disease in humans. The maintenance CCHFV ecosystem remains poorly understood. Certain tick species are considered as vectors and reservoirs virus. Diverse animals suspected amplifiers, with only scarce knowledge regarding rodents epidemiology. In this study, serum samples from febrile patients, asymptomatic livestock (cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats), peridomestic Baringo (Marigat) Kajiado (Nguruman)...
Mpox, caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV), is a re-emerging zoonotic disease in Poxviridae family. Since 2022, sub-Saharan Africa has experienced resurgence of outbreaks, with Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) experiencing its largest recorded outbreak. By June 2024, DRC’s MPXV cases accounted for 96% 567 new confirmed reported World Health Organization (WHO) across African region. Despite MPXV’s endemicity Africa, genetic diversity remains poorly understood. In this study, we...
Introduction Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of arboviral pathogens that primarily affect livestock represented by Schmallenberg virus (SBV), epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHDV) and bluetongue (BTV). In Kenya, studies examining the bionomic features including species diversity, blood-feeding habits, association with viruses limited. Methods Adult were surveyed using CDC light traps in two semi-arid ecologies, Baringo Kajiado counties, Kenya. Blood-fed...
Oropouche fever caused by virus (OROV) is a significant zoonosis in Central and South America. Despite its public health significance, we lack high-throughput diagnostics, therapeutics, comprehensive knowledge of OROV biology. Reporter viruses are valuable tools to rapidly study dynamics develop neutralization antiviral screening assays. tri-segmented bunyavirus, which makes generating reporter challenging, as introducing foreign elements into the viral genome typically affects fitness. We...
Phleboviruses are emerging pathogens of public health importance. However, their association with ticks is poorly described, particularly in Africa. Here, adult infesting cattle, goats and sheep were collected two dryland pastoralist ecosystems Kenya (Baringo Kajiado counties) screened for infection phleboviruses. Ticks mainly belonged to the species Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Hyalomma impeltatum, rufipes. A fragment RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene was identified thirty 671 tick...
Ngari virus (NRIV) is a mosquito-borne reassortant orthobunyavirus that causes severe febrile illness and hemorrhagic fever in humans small ruminants. Due to limited diagnostics surveillance, NRIV has only been detected sporadically during Rift Valley outbreaks. Little known on its interepidemic maintenance geographic distribution. In this study, sera from cattle, goats, sheep were collected through cross-sectional survey after the rainy seasons between 2020 2021 two pastoralist-dominated...
Arboviruses are among emerging pathogens of public and veterinary health significance. However, in most sub-Saharan Africa, their role the aetiologies diseases farm animals is poorly described due to paucity active surveillance appropriate diagnosis. Here, we report discovery a previously unknown orbivirus cattle collected Kenyan Rift Valley 2020 2021. We isolated virus cell culture from serum clinically sick cow aged 2 3 years, presenting signs lethargy. High-throughput sequencing revealed...
Hantaviruses are zoonotic rodent-borne viruses that known to infect humans and cause various symptoms of disease, including hemorrhagic fever with renal cardiopulmonary syndromes. They have a segmented single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA genome widely distributed. This study aimed investigate the circulation hantaviruses in peridomestic rodents shrews two semi-arid ecologies within Kenyan Rift Valley. The small mammals were trapped using baited folding Sherman traps set around...
Insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs), although not known to be pathogenic humans and animals, can modulate the transmission of arboviruses by mosquitoes. In this study, we screened 6665 host-seeking, gravid blood-fed mosquitoes for infection with assessed vertebrate hosts sampled in Baringo Kajiado counties; both dryland ecosystem counties Kenyan Rift Valley. Sequence fragments two ISFs were detected. Cuacua virus (CuCuV) was found three Mansonia (Ma.) africana. The genome sequenced...