Adeola Oluwagbenga A, Olugasa Babasola O, Emikpe Benjamin O
Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonoses (CCPZ), University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, Bingham University, Karu, via Abuja, Nigeria;
Infect Ecol Epidemiol. 2015 Dec 28;5:30227. doi: 10.3402/iee.v5.30227. eCollection 2015.
Human and animal influenza are inextricably linked. In particular, the pig is uniquely important as a mixing vessel for genetic reassortment of influenza viruses, leading to emergence of novel strains which may cause human pandemics. Significant reduction in transmission of influenza viruses from humans, and other animals, to swine may therefore be crucial for preventing future influenza pandemics. This study investigated the presence of the 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus, A(H1N1)pdm09, in Nigerian and Ghanaian pigs, and also determined levels of acceptance of preventive measures which could significantly reduce the transmission of this virus from humans to pigs.
Nasal swab specimens from 125 pigs in Ibadan, Nigeria, and Kumasi, Ghana, were tested for the presence of influenza A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) by quantitative antigen-detection ELISA. A semi-structured questionnaire was also administered to pig handlers in the two study areas and responses were analyzed to evaluate their compliance with seven measures for preventing human-to-swine transmission of influenza viruses.
The virus was detected among pigs in the two cities, with prevalence of 8% in Ibadan and 10% in Kumasi. Levels of compliance of pig handlers with relevant preventive measures were also found to be mostly below 25 and 40% in Ibadan and Kumasi, respectively.
Detection of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 among pigs tested suggests the possibility of human-to-swine transmission, which may proceed even more rapidly, considering the very poor acceptance of basic preventive measures observed in this study. This is also the first report on detection of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Ghanaian pigs. We recommend improvement on personal hygiene among pig handlers, enforcement of sick leave particularly during the first few days of influenza-like illnesses, and training of pig handlers on recognition of influenza-like signs in humans and pigs. These could be crucial for prevention of future influenza pandemics.
人类流感与动物流感紧密相连。特别是猪作为流感病毒基因重配的混合载体具有独特的重要性，这会导致可能引发人类大流行的新型毒株出现。因此，大幅减少流感病毒从人类和其他动物传播至猪，对于预防未来的流感大流行可能至关重要。本研究调查了尼日利亚和加纳猪群中2009年甲型H1N1大流行性流感病毒（A(H1N1)pdm09）的存在情况，还确定了对可显著减少该病毒从人类传播至猪的预防措施的接受程度。
通过定量抗原检测酶联免疫吸附测定法，检测了来自尼日利亚伊巴丹和加纳库马西125头猪的鼻拭子样本中是否存在甲型/加利福尼亚/04/2009（H1N1）流感病毒。还对两个研究地区的养猪人员进行了半结构化问卷调查，并对回答进行分析，以评估他们对预防流感病毒从人类传播至猪的七项措施的遵守情况。
在两个城市的猪群中均检测到该病毒，伊巴丹的患病率为8%，库马西为10%。还发现，伊巴丹和库马西的养猪人员对相关预防措施的遵守程度大多分别低于25%和40%。
在检测的猪群中发现A(H1N1)pdm09流感病毒表明存在人类传播至猪的可能性，鉴于本研究中观察到对基本预防措施的接受程度非常低，这种传播可能会更快发生。这也是关于在加纳猪群中检测到A(H1N1)pdm09流感病毒的首份报告。我们建议改善养猪人员的个人卫生状况，特别是在流感样疾病发病的头几天强制实行病假制度，并对养猪人员进行培训，使其能够识别人类和猪的流感样症状。这些对于预防未来的流感大流行可能至关重要。
