Rat-atouille

A Mixed Method Study to Characterize Rodent Hunting and Consumption in the Context of Lassa Fever

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19528562
AutoresJesse Bonwitt (0000-0002-0510-2802, Durham University, autor de correspondencia), Ann H Kelly (0000-0003-4658-2133, University of Exeter), Rashid Ansumana (0000-0002-1973-7200), Schadrac Agbla, Schadrac C Agbla (0000-0002-0648-3336, MRC Unit the Gambia), Foday Sahr (0000-0001-9816-4502, University of Sierra Leone), Almudena Marí Sáez (0000-0002-5429-8485, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Marciele Borchert (0009-0009-3053-9852, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Matthias Borchert, Richard Kock (0000-0002-6561-3209, Royal Veterinary College), Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet (0000-0002-9421-3538, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine)
Año2016
Volumen13
Número2
Páginas234-247
Fecha de publicación2016-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEcoHealth (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1612-9202 • E-ISSN: 1612-9210
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10393-016-1098-8
PMID26895631
OpenAlexW2276838386
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas6
Referencias citadas29

Lassa fever is a zoonotic hemorrhagic illness predominant in areas across Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and southern Mali. The reservoir of Lassa virus is the multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), a highly commensal species in West Africa. Primary transmission to humans occurs through direct or indirect contact with rodent body fluids such as urine, feces, saliva, or blood. Our research draws together qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a fuller and more nuanced perspective on these varied points of human-animal contact. In this article, we focus on the hunting, preparation, and consumption of rodents as possible routes of exposure in Bo, Sierra Leone. We found that the consumption of rodents, including the reservoir species, is widespread and does not neatly tally against generational or gender lines. Further, we found that the reasons for rodent consumption are multifactorial, including taste preferences, food security, and opportunistic behavior. We argue that on certain topics, such as rodent consumption, establishing trust with communities, and using qualitative research methods, is key to investigate sensitive issues and situate them in their wider context. To conclude, we recommend ways to refine sensitization campaigns to account for these socio-cultural contexts

Animal ecology · Biology · Bushmeat · Ebola virus · Lassa fever · Lassa virus · Mastomys · Outbreak · Rodent · Sierra leone · Sigmodon hispidus · Sigmodontinae · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Viral hemorrhagic fever · Virus · Wildlife · Zoology · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research · Viral Infections and Vectors · Zoonotic diseases and public health · Ecology · Virology