Browsing by Author "Sasaki, T."
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Item Detection of a novel putative phlebovirus and first isolation of Dugbe virus from ticks in Accra, Ghana(Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2017) Kobayashi, D.; Ohashi, M.; Osei, J.H.N.; Agbosu, E.; Opoku, M.; Agbekudzi, A.; Joannides, J.; Fujita, R.; Sasaki, T.; Bonney, J.H.K.; Dadzie, S.; Isawa, H.; Sawabe, K.; Ohta, N.Ticks are ectoparasites that transmit various types of human and animal pathogens. In particular, emerging and re-emerging diseases caused by tick-borne viruses are public health concerns around the world. However, in many countries of the sub-Saharan African region, epidemiological information on tick-borne viral infections is limited, and their prevalence and distribution remain largely unknown. In this study, we conducted surveillance on ticks to detect medically important tick-borne bunyaviruses in three study sites in and near to Accra, the capital city of Ghana, in 2015. Domestic dogs and cattle were surveyed and were found to be infested with various tick species belonging to the genera Rhipicephalus, Amblyomma and Haemaphysalis. Importantly, we detected a novel putative phlebovirus in Rhipicephalus ticks, and successfully isolated a new strain of Dugbe virus from Am. variegatum ticks. To our knowledge, this is the first report of tick-associated viruses in Ghana other than Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. © 2017 Elsevier GmbHItem Entomological Assessment of the Status and Risk of Mosquito-borne Arboviral Transmission in Ghana(viruses, 2020-01-27) Amoa-Bosompem, M.; Kobayashi, D.; Murota, K.; Faizah, A.N.; Itokawa, K.; Fujita, R.; Osei, J.H.N.; Agbosu, E.; Pratt, D.; Kimura, S.; Kwofie, K.D.; Ohashi, M.; Bonney, J.H.K.; Dadzie, S.; Sasaki, T.; Ohta, N.; Isawa, H.; Sawabe, K.; Iwanaga, S.Entomological surveillance is one of the tools used in monitoring and controlling vector-borne diseases. However, the use of entomological surveillance for arboviral infection vector control is often dependent on finding infected individuals. Although this method may su ce in highly endemic areas, it is not as e ective in controlling the spread of diseases in low endemic and non-endemic areas. In this study, we examined the e ciency of using entomological markers to assess the status and risk of arbovirus infection in Ghana, which is considered a non-endemic country, by combining mosquito surveillance with virus isolation and detection. This study reports the presence of cryptic species of mosquitoes in Ghana, demonstrating the need to combine morphological identification and molecular techniques in mosquito surveillance. Furthermore, although no medically important viruses were detected, the importance of insect-specific viruses in understanding virus evolution and arbovirus transmission is discussed. This study reports the first mutualistic relationship between dengue virus and the double-stranded RNA Aedes aegypti totivirus. Finally, this study discusses the complexity of the virome of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes and its implication for arbovirus transmission.