An exploration of the protective effect of rodent species richness on the geographical expansion of Lassa fever in West Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

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.

Methodology/principal findings

We conducted a spatial analysis based on sociodemographic, geographical, and ecological data, and found that higher rodent species richness was significantly associated with a lo

SUBMITTER: Min KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7877741 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature