Abstracto

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BASELINE FOR EBOLA VIRUS IN POTENTIAL HOSTS FROM TROPICAL AMERICA

Ramírez-Jirano Luis Javier, Lorenzo-Monterrubio Consuelo, Álvarez-Castañeda Sergio Ticul, Grajales-Muñiz Concepción, Bitzer-Quintero Oscar Kurt, Gaxiola-Robles Ramon*

Introduction: In recent years has been an increase in emerging and re-emerging viral infectious diseases. Those are a great challenge for public health; one of them is Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever. It is natural hosts and carriers are several species of mammals of the order Chiroptera, Primates, Artiodactyla, and Rodentia, and in the southeast of Mexico, there is an ecologically similar environment.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the possible presence of the Ebola virus in several mammalian species (bats and rodents) with distribution in tropical Mexico with similar ecological conditions to the recorded host in tropical Africa.

Study design: This work was developed in 75 liver samples of 12 different species of rodents and bats native to Mexico to which RNA was extracted to determine the presence of EBOV-RNA by RT-qPCR.

Results: The samples analyzed, was a negative result for the presence of EBOV-RNA, indicating no previous infection of Ebola virus.

Conclusion: In Mexico, there are several viral diseases with significant impacts on the human population. New emerging viral zoonotic diseases may occur in Mexico, representing a significant threat to Public Health among them Ebola disease.