[Ngari virus (Bunyaviridae: Bunyavirus). First isolation from humans in Senegal, new mosquito vectors, its epidemiology].

Abstract

Ngari virus (NRI) (Bunyaviridae, genus Bunyavirus) was isolated first from male Aedes simpsoni mosquitoes in Southeastern Senegal in 1979. Then, it was recovered from several mosquito species in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and Madagascar. A potential pathogenicity of NRI virus in humans was suspected when the virus was isolated from two patients in Dakar in October and November 1993. The large diversity of Culicidae vectors and feeding patterns showed a large heterogeneity of vertebrate hosts. The wide geographical distribution of NRI virus in different bioclimatic areas indicated an important adaptability of the virus. Ngari virus epidemiology will need further investigations in order to approach the real pathogenicity of such emerging virus.