Tasiame William, El-Duah Philip, Johnson Sherry A M, Owiredu Eddie-Williams, Bleicker Tobias, Veith Talitha, Schneider Julia, Emikpe Benjamin, Folitse Raphael D, Burimuah Vitus, Akyereko Ernest, Drosten Christian, Corman Victor Max
School of Veterinary Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Jul;69(4):e71-e81. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14266. Epub 2021 Sep 4.
Dog-mediated rabies is responsible for approximately 60,000 human deaths annually worldwide. Although dog slaughter for human consumption and its potential risk for rabies transmission has been reported, mainly in some parts of Western Africa and South-East Asia, more information on this and factors that influence dog meat consumption is required for a better understanding from places like Ghana where the practice is common. We tested 144 brain tissues from apparently healthy dogs slaughtered for human consumption for the presence of rabies viruses using a Lyssavirus-specific real-Time RT-PCR. Positive samples were confirmed by virus genome sequencing. We also administered questionnaires to 541 dog owners from three regions in Ghana and evaluated factors that could influence dog meat consumption. We interacted with butchers and observed slaughtering and meat preparation procedures. Three out of 144 (2.1%) brain tissues from apparently healthy dogs tested positive for rabies virus RNA. Two of the viruses with complete genomes were distinct from one another, but both belonged to the Africa 2 lineage. The third virus with a partial genome fragment had high sequence identity to the other two and also belonged to the Africa 2 lineage. Almost half of the study participants practiced dog consumption [49% (265/541)]. Males were almost twice (cOR = 1.72, 95% CI (1.17-2.52), p-value = .006) as likely to consume dog meat compared to females. Likewise, the Frafra tribe from northern Ghana [cOR = 825.1, 95% CI (185.3-3672.9), p-value < .0001] and those with non-specific tribes [cOR = 47.05, 95% CI (10.18-217.41), p-value < .0001] presented with higher odds of dog consumption compared to Ewes. The butchers used bare hands in meat preparation. This study demonstrates the presence of rabies virus RNA in apparently healthy dogs slaughtered for human consumption in Ghana and suggests a potential risk for rabies transmission. Veterinary departments and local assemblies are recommended to monitor and regulate this practice.
犬介导的狂犬病每年在全球导致约6万人死亡。尽管已有报道称，主要在西非和东南亚的一些地区，存在将狗宰杀供人类食用及其传播狂犬病的潜在风险，但为了能更好地了解像加纳这样狗肉消费普遍的地方的情况，还需要更多关于这方面以及影响狗肉消费因素的信息。我们使用狂犬病病毒特异性实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（Lyssavirus - specific real - Time RT - PCR）检测了144份从供人类食用而宰杀的看似健康的狗的脑组织中是否存在狂犬病病毒。阳性样本通过病毒基因组测序进行确认。我们还对来自加纳三个地区的541名狗主人进行了问卷调查，并评估了可能影响狗肉消费的因素。我们与屠夫进行了交流，并观察了屠宰和肉类加工过程。144份看似健康的狗的脑组织中有3份（2.1%）检测出狂犬病病毒RNA呈阳性。其中两份具有完整基因组的病毒彼此不同，但都属于非洲2谱系。第三份具有部分基因组片段的病毒与另外两份具有高度序列同一性，也属于非洲2谱系。几乎一半的研究参与者有食用狗肉的行为[49%（265/541）]。与女性相比，男性食用狗肉的可能性几乎是女性的两倍（校正比值比cOR = 1.72，95%置信区间CI（1.17 - 2.52），p值 = 0.006）。同样，来自加纳北部的弗拉弗拉部落[cOR = 825.1，95%置信区间CI（185.3 - 3672.9），p值 < 0.0001]以及那些部落不明确的人[cOR = 47.05，95%置信区间CI（10.18 - 217.41），p值 < 0.0001]与埃维人相比，食用狗肉的几率更高。屠夫在处理肉类时徒手操作。这项研究表明，在加纳，供人类食用而宰杀的看似健康的狗中存在狂犬病病毒RNA，提示存在狂犬病传播的潜在风险。建议兽医部门和地方议会对这种行为进行监测和监管。
