Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay

To, Albert; Kamara, Varney M.; Tekah, Davidetta M.; Jalloh, Mohammed A.; Kamara, Salematu B.; Wong, Teri Ann S.; Ball, Aquena H.; Mayerlen, Ludwig I.; Ishikawa, Kyle M.; Ahn, Hyeong Jun; Shobayo, Bode; Teahton, Julius; Haun, Brien K.; Wang, Wei-Kung; Berestecky, John M.; Nerurkar, Vivek R.; Humphrey, Peter S.; Lehrer, Axel T.

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

Open AccessArticle

Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay

by

Albert To

^1,*

,

Varney M. Kamara

^1,2,

Davidetta M. Tekah

²,

Mohammed A. Jalloh

²,

Salematu B. Kamara

²,

Teri Ann S. Wong

¹

,

Aquena H. Ball

¹,

Ludwig I. Mayerlen

¹

,

Kyle M. Ishikawa

³

,

Hyeong Jun Ahn

³

,

Bode Shobayo

⁴

,

Julius Teahton

⁴,

Brien K. Haun

^1,5,

Wei-Kung Wang

¹,

John M. Berestecky

^1,2,6

,

Vivek R. Nerurkar

¹

,

Peter S. Humphrey

² and

Axel T. Lehrer

^1,*

¹

Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

²

Department of Biological Sciences, Medical Science, T.J.R Faulkner College of Science and Technology, University of Liberia, Fendall 1000, Liberia

³

Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

⁴

National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Monrovia 1000, Liberia

⁵

Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

⁶

Math & Science Department, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96816, USA

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(4), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

Submission received: 5 February 2025 / Revised: 28 March 2025 / Accepted: 1 April 2025 / Published: 3 April 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Borders—Tackling Neglected Tropical Viral Diseases)

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Abstract

Insect-borne viruses may account for a significant proportion of non-malaria and non-bacterial febrile illnesses in Liberia. Although the presence of many arthropod vectors has been documented, the collective burden of arbovirus infections and baseline pre-existing immunity remains enigmatic. Our goal was to determine the seroprevalence of arbovirus exposure across the country using a resource-sparing, multiplex immunoassay to determine IgG responses to immunodominant antigens. 532 human serum samples, from healthy adults, collected from 10 counties across Liberia, were measured for IgG reactivity against antigens of eight common flavi-, alpha-, and orthobunya/nairoviruses suspected to be present in West Africa. Approximately 32.5% of our samples were reactive to alphavirus (CHIKV) E2, ~7% were reactive separately to West Nile (WNV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) NS1, while 4.3 and 3.2% were reactive to Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) N and Dengue virus-2 (DENV-2) NS1, respectively. Altogether, 21.6% of our samples were reactive to ≥1 flavivirus NS1s. Of the CHIKV E2 reactive samples, 8.5% were also reactive to at least one flavivirus NS1, and six samples were concurrently reactive to antigens of all three arbovirus groups, suggesting a high burden of multiple arbovirus infections for some participants. These insights suggest the presence of these four arbovirus families in Liberia with low and moderate rates of flavi- and alphavirus infections, respectively, in healthy adults. Further confirmational investigation, such as mosquito surveillance or other serological tests, is warranted and should be conducted before initiating additional flavivirus vaccination campaigns. The findings of these studies can help guide healthcare resource mobilization, vector control, and animal husbandry practices.

Keywords: arbovirus; cross-reactivity; IgG; Liberia; microsphere immunoassay; serosurveillance

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MDPI and ACS Style

To, A.; Kamara, V.M.; Tekah, D.M.; Jalloh, M.A.; Kamara, S.B.; Wong, T.A.S.; Ball, A.H.; Mayerlen, L.I.; Ishikawa, K.M.; Ahn, H.J.; et al. Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10, 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

AMA Style

To A, Kamara VM, Tekah DM, Jalloh MA, Kamara SB, Wong TAS, Ball AH, Mayerlen LI, Ishikawa KM, Ahn HJ, et al. Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2025; 10(4):92. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

Chicago/Turabian Style

To, Albert, Varney M. Kamara, Davidetta M. Tekah, Mohammed A. Jalloh, Salematu B. Kamara, Teri Ann S. Wong, Aquena H. Ball, Ludwig I. Mayerlen, Kyle M. Ishikawa, Hyeong Jun Ahn, and et al. 2025. "Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 10, no. 4: 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

APA Style

To, A., Kamara, V. M., Tekah, D. M., Jalloh, M. A., Kamara, S. B., Wong, T. A. S., Ball, A. H., Mayerlen, L. I., Ishikawa, K. M., Ahn, H. J., Shobayo, B., Teahton, J., Haun, B. K., Wang, W.-K., Berestecky, J. M., Nerurkar, V. R., Humphrey, P. S., & Lehrer, A. T. (2025). Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 10(4), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10040092

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Baseline Seroprevalence of Arboviruses in Liberia Using a Multiplex IgG Immunoassay

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