The first epidemiological and virological influenza surveillance in the Republic of Guinea revealed the predominance of influenza A/H3N2 and B Victoria viruses

Abstract Along the coast of the Republic of Guinea, the term “Baga” has been used to cover a large amalgamation of cultural groups, always previously misinterpreted. There are five dialect groups called Baga within the Temne language group. The question raised here concerns the etymology of the name Baga, as it has evolved in juxtaposition to the name Temne in Sierra Leone. It is an attempt to parse the intricate use of language to describe the historical and hierarchical relationship between these two segments of the same group.

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Population abundance of the common hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius in the Haut Niger National Park, Republic of Guinea / Abondance de la population d'hippopotame commun Hippopotamus amphibius dans le Parc National du Haut Niger, République de Guinée

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mamm.70.1-2.14 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 70 (1-2) ◽

Author(s):

David Brugière ◽

Bakary Magassouba ◽

Amidou Sylla ◽

Halimou Diallo ◽

Mamadou Sow

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Wet Season ◽

Republic Of Guinea ◽

Hippopotamus Amphibius ◽

The Status ◽

Grazing Area ◽

The Common ◽

The Republic

AbstractThe Republic of Guinea is thought to contain the largest population of common hippopotamus in West Africa. However, no systematic field survey has been carried out recently and the information available is limited to informal observations. To clarify the status of the common hippopotamus in Guinea, we carried out a biannual population survey along the section of the Niger River (the largest river in Guinea) within the Haut Niger National Park. We counted 93 hippopotamuses in 28 groups in the dry season and 77 hippopotamuses in 23 groups in the wet season. Mean group size and number of neonates did not change between the seasons. Hippopotomuses were more numerous along the river sections bordering uncultivated floodplains. This underlines the significance of this habitat (which is used as a grazing area) for conservation of this species. Haut Niger National Park is the most important protected area in Guinea for conservation of the common hippopotamus. Hippopotamus-human and -cattle conflicts in terms of floodplain use in the park's buffer zone should be closely monitored. Floodplain conversion to rice fields represents one of the most important threats to the long-term conservation of hippopotamus populations in Guinea.

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Improving pandemic influenza risk assessment

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.03883 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Colin A Russell ◽

Peter M Kasson ◽

Ruben O Donis ◽

Steven Riley ◽

John Dunbar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Pandemic Influenza ◽

Influenza A ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Virus Genome ◽

Influenza Viruses ◽

Influenza Surveillance ◽

Human Influenza ◽

Influenza A Viruses ◽

Virus Genotype

Assessing the pandemic risk posed by specific non-human influenza A viruses is an important goal in public health research. As influenza virus genome sequencing becomes cheaper, faster, and more readily available, the ability to predict pandemic potential from sequence data could transform pandemic influenza risk assessment capabilities. However, the complexities of the relationships between virus genotype and phenotype make such predictions extremely difficult. The integration of experimental work, computational tool development, and analysis of evolutionary pathways, together with refinements to influenza surveillance, has the potential to transform our ability to assess the risks posed to humans by non-human influenza viruses and lead to improved pandemic preparedness and response.

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Dynamic interactions of influenza viruses in Hong Kong during 1998-2018

10.1101/19008987 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wan Yang ◽

Eric H. Y. Lau ◽

Benjamin J. Cowling

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Influenza A ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Immune Escape ◽

Influenza Viruses ◽

Influenza Surveillance ◽

Influenza Epidemic ◽

Inference System ◽

Population Immunity ◽

Cross Immunity

AbstractInfluenza epidemics cause substantial morbidity and mortality every year worldwide. Currently, two influenza A subtypes, A(H1N1) and A(H3N2), and type B viruses co-circulate in humans and infection with one type/subtype could provide cross-protection against the others. However, it remains unclear how such ecologic competition via cross-immunity and antigenic mutations that allow immune escape impact influenza epidemic dynamics at the population level. Here we develop a comprehensive model-inference system and apply it to study the evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics of the three influenza types/subtypes in Hong Kong, a city of global public health significance for influenza epidemic and pandemic control. Utilizing long-term influenza surveillance data since 1998, we are able to estimate the strength of cross-immunity between each virus-pairs, the timing and frequency of punctuated changes in population immunity in response to antigenic mutations in influenza viruses, and key epidemiological parameters over the last 20 years including the 2009 pandemic. We find evidence of cross-immunity in all types/subtypes, with strongest cross-immunity from A(H1N1) against A(H3N2). Our results also suggest that A(H3N2) may undergo antigenic mutations in both summers and winters and thus monitoring the virus in both seasons may be important for vaccine development. Overall, our study reveals intricate epidemiological interactions and underscores the importance of simultaneous monitoring of population immunity, incidence rates, and viral genetic and antigenic changes.

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FAMILY DOCTOR ACTIVITY AT THE RUSSIAN ENTERPRISE IN THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA

The Bulletin of Contemporary Clinical Medicine ◽

10.20969/vskm.2008.1(1).138-139 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 138-139

Author(s):

Vsevolod S. Morokov ◽

Keyword(s):

Family Doctor ◽

Russian Enterprise ◽

Republic Of Guinea ◽

The Republic

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Transmission of Eurasian avian H2 influenza virus to shorebirds in North America

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/0022-1317-80-12-3167 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 80 (12) ◽

pp. 3167-3171 ◽

Cited By ~ 104

Author(s):

N. V. Makarova ◽

N. V. Kaverin ◽

S. Krauss ◽

D. Senne ◽

R. G. Webster

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Avian Influenza ◽

Influenza A ◽

The Other ◽

Influenza Surveillance ◽

Gene Characterization ◽

Eurasian Lineage ◽

Antibody Panel ◽

Antigenic Relationships

Influenza A virus of the H2 subtype caused a serious pandemic in 1957 and may cause similar outbreaks in the future. To assess the evolution and the antigenic relationships of avian influenza H2 viruses, we sequenced the haemagglutinin (HA) genes of H2 isolates from shorebirds, ducks and poultry in North America and derived a phylogenetic tree to establish their interrelationships. This analysis confirmed the divergence of H2 HA into two geographical lineages, American and Eurasian. One group of viruses isolated from shorebirds in North America had HA belonging to the Eurasian lineage, indicating an interregional transmission of the H2 gene. Characterization of HA with a monoclonal antibody panel revealed that the antigenicity of the Delaware strains differed from the other avian strains analysed. The data emphasizes the importance of avian influenza surveillance.

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