In addition, transient blindness has been described in humans recovering from
LASV infection (3,10).
It was recently reported that oral favipiravir was efficacious in the guinea pig and mouse infection models of
LASV. (32,33) Therapeutic effects were shown by favipiravir, when dosing commenced 2 days post-infection with
LASV (Fig.
Purchasing one fewer Burke-ciass guided-missile destroyer (DDG) would allow the acquisition and operation of thirty-five to forty large autonomous surface vessels (
LASVs).
LASV species in these geographic regions are related genetically, suggesting an ongoing exchange between LASV-endemic regions (2).
Recently, the antiviral favipiravir (T-705; 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide) has gained attention as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug against RNA viruses (4) including
LASV; initial studies using small animal models have been conducted (5,6).
In disease-endemic areas, such as Liberia, hospital staff has been reported to have higher prevalence of antibodies against
LASV than the general village population (7,8).
Conventional IgM/IgG ELISAs were used for
LASV (Corgenix, Broomfield, CO, USA) and CCHFV (Vector-Best, Novosibirsk, Russia), and reagents for the EBOV IgM/IgG ELISA (infected/uninfected cell lysates) were prepared at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (Hamilton, MT, USA) and validated with serum from experimentally infected monkeys.
Total nucleic acids were extracted from lung samples and tested for the presence of
LASV RNA by using a real-time PCR system amplifying a 400-bp fragment of the large genomic segment (8 (online Technical Appendix).
A study in 1991 described a low seroprevalence (0.8%) for
LASV antibodies in humans in northern Namibia (9).
Because of major and often highly publicized outbreaks, the most recognized VHF agents are Ebola virus (EBOV), Marburg virus (MARV), and Lassa virus (
LASV).
The causative agent of Lassa fever is Lassa virus (
LASV), a member of the Arenaviridae family.
However, cases have been reported from other countries in the region, including 1 caused by a previously undescribed strain of Lassa virus (
LASV) after the case-patient traveled through Ghana (3).