Neutralizing antibodies against Rift Valley fever virus in wild antelope in far northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, indicate recent virus circulation

Abstract

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease of domestic ruminants in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula caused by a mosquito‐borne Phlebovirus. Outbreaks in livestock and humans occur after heavy rains favour breeding of vectors, and the virus is thought to survive dry seasons in the eggs of floodwater‐breeding aedine mosquitoes. We recently found high seroconversion rates to RVF virus (RVFV) in cattle and goats, in the absence of outbreaks, in far northern KwaZulu‐Natal (KZN), South Africa. Here, we report the prevalence of, and factors associated with, neutralizing antibodies to RVFV in 326 sera collected opportunistically from nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) culled during 2016–2018 in two nature reserves in the same area. The overall seroprevalence of RVFV, determined using the serum neutralization test, was 35.0% (114/326; 95%CI: 29.8%–40.4%) and tended to be higher in Ndumo Game Reserve (11/20; 55.0%; 95%CI: 31.5%–76.9%) than in Tembe Elephant Park (103/306; 33.6%; 95%CI: 28.4%–39.3%) (p = .087). The presence of antibodies in juveniles (6/21; 28.6%; 95%CI: 11.3%–52.2%) and sub‐adults (13/65; 20.0%; 95%CI: 11.1%–37.8%) confirmed that infections had occurred at least until 2016, well after the 2008–2011 RVF outbreaks in South Africa. Odds of seropositivity was higher in adults than in sub‐adults (OR = 3.98; 95%CI: 1.83–8.67; p = .001), in males than in females (OR = 2.66; 95%CI: 1.51–4.68; p = .001) and in animals collected ≤2 km from a swamp or floodplain compared with those collected further away (OR = 3.30; 95%CI: 1.70–6.38; p < .001). Under similar ecological conditions, domestic and wild ruminants may play a similar role in maintenance of RVFV circulation and either or both may serve as the mammalian host in a vector–host reservoir system. The study confirms the recent circulation of RVFV in the tropical coastal plain of northern KZN, providing the basis for investigation of factors affecting virus circulation and the role of wildlife in RVF epidemiology.