Meeting Abstract
Wildlife, non-human primates (NHPs) in particular, can serve as reservoirs for arboviruses such as Dengue (DF), West Nile (WNV), and Rift Valley (RVF) fever viruses, which can all be found in human populations in Madagascar. To better understand the zoonotic potential of Malagasy wildlife species to act as reservoirs of these viruses, methods for rapid, minimally invasive sample collection and preservation are necessary. With this study we aim to (1) develop a qPCR protocol for detection and quantification of DF, WNV, and RVF viruses, (2) validate the use of dried blood spots on TropBio cards as a method for detecting RNA viruses, (3) to determine the prevalence of these viruses in wild NHP species (lemurs of Madagascar). To validate the protocol, we apply the viral RNA genomes, or house mouse (Mus musculus) blood spiked with inactivated viral particles to TropBio cards. RNA was isolated from the cards and the target viral RNA was detected by qPCR. Mouse lemur blood samples were collected from intact forest and deforested regions of Madagascar. Ongoing work will test mouse lemur blood spots for these viruses using this protocol.
