Zika Virus Circulates at Low Levels in Western and Coastal Kenya.

Gobillot, Theodore A; Kikawa, Caroline; Lehman, Dara A; Kinuthia, John; Drake, Alison L; Jaoko, Walter; Mandaliya, Kishorchandra; John-Stewart, Grace et al. · J Infect Dis · 2020

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered over 70 years ago in East Africa, but little is known about its circulation and pathogenesis there. We screened 327 plasma samples collected 2-12 months after febrile illness in Western and coastal Kenya (1993-2016) for binding and neutralizing antibodies to distinguish ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV) responses, which we found were common in coastal Kenya. Two cases had durable ZIKV-specific antibodies and 2 cases had ZIKV antibodies at similar levels as DENV antibodies. This suggests low-level ZIKV circulation in Kenya over 2 decades and sets a baseline for future surveillance efforts in East Africa.

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