PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Feb 2022)

Current knowledge of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens in Zambia: A clarion call to scaling-up "One Health" research in the wake of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

  • Benjamin Mubemba,
  • Monicah M Mburu,
  • Katendi Changula,
  • Walter Muleya,
  • Lavel C Moonga,
  • Herman M Chambaro,
  • Masahiro Kajihara,
  • Yongjin Qiu,
  • Yasuko Orba,
  • Kyoko Hayashida,
  • Catherine G Sutcliffe,
  • Douglas E Norris,
  • Philip E Thuma,
  • Phillimon Ndubani,
  • Simbarashe Chitanga,
  • Hirofumi Sawa,
  • Ayato Takada,
  • Edgar Simulundu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010193
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 2
p. e0010193

Abstract

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BackgroundAlthough vector-borne zoonotic diseases are a major public health threat globally, they are usually neglected, especially among resource-constrained countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. This scoping review examined the current knowledge and identified research gaps of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens in Zambia.Methods and findingsMajor scientific databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, CABI, Scientific Information Database (SID)) were searched for articles describing vector-borne (mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and tsetse flies) zoonotic pathogens in Zambia. Several mosquito-borne arboviruses have been reported including Yellow fever, Ntaya, Mayaro, Dengue, Zika, West Nile, Chikungunya, Sindbis, and Rift Valley fever viruses. Flea-borne zoonotic pathogens reported include Yersinia pestis and Rickettsia felis. Trypanosoma sp. was the only tsetse fly-borne pathogen identified. Further, tick-borne zoonotic pathogens reported included Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus, Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., Borrelia sp., and Coxiella burnetii.ConclusionsThis study revealed the presence of many vector-borne zoonotic pathogens circulating in vectors and animals in Zambia. Though reports of human clinical cases were limited, several serological studies provided considerable evidence of zoonotic transmission of vector-borne pathogens in humans. However, the disease burden in humans attributable to vector-borne zoonotic infections could not be ascertained from the available reports and this precludes the formulation of national policies that could help in the control and mitigation of the impact of these diseases in Zambia. Therefore, there is an urgent need to scale-up "One Health" research in emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases to enable the country to prepare for future epidemics, including pandemics.