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African swine fever (ASF) is a high-consequence transboundary hemorrhagic fever of swine. It continues to spread across the globe causing socio-economic issues and threatening food security and biodiversity. In 2020, Nigeria reported a major ASF outbreak, killing close to half a million pigs. Based on the partial sequences of the genes B646L (p72) and E183L (p54), the virus responsible for the outbreak was identified as an African swine fever virus (ASFV) p72 genotype II. Here, we report further characterization of ASFV RV502, one of the isolates obtained during the outbreak. The whole genome sequence of this virus revealed a deletion of 6535 bp between the nucleotide positions 11,760–18,295 of the genome, and an apparent reverse complement duplication of the 5′ end of the genome at the 3′ end. Phylogenetically, ASFV RV502 clustered together with ASFV MAL/19/Karonga and ASFV Tanzania/Rukwa/2017/1 suggesting that the virus responsible for the 2020 outbreak in Nigeria has a South-eastern African origin.

Arboviruses are important public health threats in many regions of the world. Nigeria has experienced outbreaks of arboviruses over the past decades, leading to concerns of widespread endemicity, which are frequently misdiagnosed. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of dengue virus (DENV) (a flavivirus) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) (an alphavirus) infections in three major population centers of Nigeria. A convenience sample of 701 sera was collected from both healthy and febrile participants between August 2010 and March 2018. Sera were tested for prior exposure to CHIKV virus and DENV using indirect IgG ELISA. Results showed that 54.1% (379/701) of participants were seropositive for anti-DENV antibodies, 41.3% (290/701) were seropositive for anti-CHIKV antibodies, and 20.1% (141/701) had previous exposure to both. The seropositivity for prior CHIKV exposure and prior exposure to DENV and CHIKV was significantly associated with age (CHIKV: OR = 2.7 (95% CI: 1.7–4.3); DENV and CHIKV: OR = 2.2 (95% CI: 1.2–4.0) for adults compared to participants under 18 years old). Overall, the high seropositivity across all age groups suggests that arboviral infections are prevalent in Nigeria and indicates that surveillance and further epidemiological studies are required to determine the true burden of these infections and the spectrum of diseases associated with these exposures.

Aim: Biosecurity measures are rarely implemented in traditional farming systems especially in the villages. Given the importance of the village chickens as a source of income for rural families and its public health concern due to the frequent contact that exist between these birds and humans a study was conducted to assess the presence of antibodies to the H5 avian influenza virus subtype in village chickens in some Local GovernmentAreas (LGAs) in Kaduna State. Materials and Methods: A total of 480 sera samples were obtained from apparently healthy local chickens in five LGAs where the avian influenza outbreak has not been reported. The sera were subjected to the Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test using the H5N2 avian influenza antigen. Results: An overall prevalence of 2.9% with an individual seroprevalence of 10%, 0.8%, 4.1% and 3.3% in Jaba, Jemma'a, Kaura and Zango Kataf local government areas respectively. There was no association between presence of pigs and detection of avian influenza antibodies, p=0.8723, OR 0.9153 (95% CI: 0.3108-2.695), but there was an association between presence of water birds (Gesse and Ducks) and detection of avian influenza antibodies, p= 0.0203, OR 3.488 (95% CI: 1.146- 10.61). Conclusions: This result highlights the important role apparently healthy village chickens may play in virus perpetuation (reservoir) and in the spread of avian influenza to other animals and humans. An enhanced and sustained virological surveillance for the virus in village chickens was recommended. Keywords: antibodies, avian influenza, Kaduna State, Nigeria, village chickens

We analyzed tissue and serum samples from 124 wild animals from communities with confirmed mpox cases in Nigeria. Tissue samples were PCR-negative, but serum samples from 8 animals (6.45%)-3 feral cats, 4 giant pouched rats, and 1 shrew-revealed Orthopoxvirus antibodies, suggesting these species as probable reservoirs.

To investigate animal reservoirs of monkeypox virus in Nigeria, we sampled 240 rodents during 2018-2019. Molecular (real-time PCR) and serologic (IgM) evidence indicated orthopoxvirus infections, but presence of monkeypox virus was not confirmed. These results can be used to develop public health interventions to reduce human infection with orthopoxviruses.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly devastating disease of domestic pigs caused by the ASF virus (ASFV). Historically, only ASFV Genotype I was known to circulate in West Africa. However, Genotype II has recently emerged in Nigeria, Ghana, and Benin for the first time. Between 2017 and 2023, suspected ASF outbreaks were reported in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Mali. The source, extent, and spread of these ASF outbreaks remain unknown. Samples collected from 2017 to 2023 were analyzed using real‐time qPCR and characterized using five ASFV gene segments: partial gene of the B464L (p72), full length E183L (p54), central variable region (CVR) within B602L, EP402R (CD2v), and intergenic region (IGR) between I73R and I329L genes. ASF was confirmed in 12 Nigerian states and in seven, eight, and two provinces of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of B646L (p72), E183 (p54), and CD2v genes of ASFV revealed that Genotype I, Serogroup 4, caused the initial outbreaks in these countries, followed by Genotype II, Serogroup 8. CVR profile analysis showed ASFV Genotype I with different variants, while Genotype II presented only one CVR variant. This is the first report of ASFV Genotype II in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Mali. The introduction of ASFV Genotype II and its co‐circulation with Genotype I in pig populations in these West African countries threatens food security and complicates control measures. Therefore, increased surveillance at international ports of entry, restrictions on live pig movements within the countries, and improved farm‐level biosecurity measures are needed to control the further spread of the disease.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a viral poultry disease known worldwide for impacting the economy and food security. The disease is endemic in Nigeria, with reported outbreaks in vaccinated poultry flocks. To gain insight into the dynamics of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) evolution in Nigeria, near-complete genomes of four IBDVs were evaluated. Amino acid sequences in the hypervariable region of the VP2 revealed conserved markers (222A, 242I, 256I, 294I and 299S) associated with very virulent (vv) IBDV, including the serine-rich heptapeptide motif (SWSASGS). Based on the newly proposed classification for segments A and B, the IBDVs clustered in the A3B5 group (where A3 are IBDVs with vvIBDV-like segment A, and where B5 are from non-vvIBDV-like segment B) form a monophyletic subcluster. Unique amino acid mutations with yet-to-be-determined biological functions have been observed in both segments. Amino acid sequences of the Nigerian IBDVs showed that they are reassortant viruses. Circulation of reassortant IBDVs may be responsible for the vaccination failures observed in the Nigerian poultry population. Close monitoring of changes in the IBDV genome is recommended to nip deleterious changes in the bud through the identification and introduction of the most appropriate vaccine candidates and advocacy/extension programs for properly implementing disease control.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects goats and sheep in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and threatens Europe [R.E.1]. The disease is endemic on the African continent, particularly in West Africa, and is a major factor driving food insecurity in low-income populations. The aim of this research study was to carry out surveillance, genetic characterisation and isolation of recently circulating PPR viruses (PPRV) in sheep and goats from the six agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. A total of 268 post-mortem tissue samples of lung and mesenteric ganglia were collected from clinically suspected sheep and goats in 18 different states, of which five never previously sampled. The presence of PPRV was confirmed using a reverse-transcription coupled with a polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. A total of 72 samples, 17 sheep (6%) and 55 goats (21%), were found to be PPR positive. Positive samples were distributed in almost all states, except Kano, where PPR was detected in previous studies. The PPRV-positive samples were further confirmed by sequencing or virus isolation in areas where the infection had never previously been detected. These results confirm the active circulation of PPRV across all six agro-ecological zones of Nigeria, and consequently, the need for introducing strict measures for the control and prevention of the disease in the country.