{ "abstract": "Shuni Virus (SHUV) is a reemerging zoonotic orthobunyavirus in the Peribunyaviridae family associated with neurological infections and birth defects in humans and animals in Africa and has emerged in the Middle East in the past 10 years. Limited epidemiological data exist in humans, partially due to a lack of clinical awareness and availability of diagnostic assays to determine the incidence of clinical cases and seroprevalence in the population. The goal of this study was to establish serologic and molecular diagnostic assays for SHUV for hospital-based surveillance and to investigate the clinical epidemiology in humans in South Africa. The incidence of SHUV infections was investigated in patients with acute fever of unknown cause with or without neurological signs (AFDUC/N) during the arbovirus season (January-June, 2019–2021). IgM and IgG ELISAs for SHUV were established using baculovirus-expressed glycoproteins and validated against virus-neutralization tests (VNT) positive sera. Orthobunyavirus quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and IgM ELISA were used to identify acute infections, and IgG ELISA to define the seroprevalence in patients and healthy control groups in hospitals in Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa. In total, 3/349 (0.84%) AFDUC/N cases tested positive by RT-qPCR and confirmed as SHUV by sequencing. In total, 22/225 (9.7%) AFDUC/N patients had SHUV neutralising antibodies (VNT), of which 11/22 (50.00%) were IgM positive, with an IgM seropositivity of 4.89% (11/225 (4.89%)). Of the RT-PCR and double IgM + VNT+ patients, 60% presented with seizures and 40% with meningitis, of which 36.36% were children and 63.63% were adults, respectively. In total, 9/112 (8%) of the healthy control group tested positive on the IgG ELISA assay. These findings suggest that SHUV is a missed cause of acute neurological infections in hospitalized children and adults in South Africa and should be investigated in humans in Africa and other regions. Author summary: SHUV is a mosquito and biting midge-transmitted zoonotic virus that causes neurological disease and birth defects in humans and animals in Africa and the Middle East, yet it remains severely underdiagnosed due to limited clinical awareness and the absence of commercially available diagnostic tools. In this study, we developed and validated IgM and IgG ELISAs for SHUV in humans and applied them alongside molecular testing to investigate SHUV infections in hospitalized patients presenting with unexplained fever and/or neurological signs in Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa between 2019 and 2021. We found that combining molecular and serological testing identified SHUV in approximately 6% of cases during the arbovirus season, with patients presenting with febrile convulsions, seizures, and meningitis affecting both children and adults. Importantly, an 8% seroprevalence in healthy controls suggests broader exposure than previously recognized. These findings highlight SHUV as a missed but clinically important cause of neurological illness in South Africa, and the need for expanded surveillance across Africa and other regions where SHUV may be circulating undetected.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Centre for Emerging Arbo and Respiratory Virus Research (CEARV), Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa", "Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands", "Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Germany", "Department of Paediatrics, Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa", "Emerging Viral Threats, One Health Surveillance and Vaccines (EViTOH) South African Research Chair (SARChi), Infectious Disease and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 9, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Matshepo Elizabeth Rakaki" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Adriano Mendes" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Paul Wichgers Schreur" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Martin H. Groschup" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Markus Keller" }, { "name": "Nicolette Marie Du Plessis" }, { "name": "Maryke De Villier" }, { "name": "Theunis Avenant" }, { "name": "Marietjie Venter" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/90jeq021erpd0.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738", "id": "90jeq021erpd0", "issns": [ "1935-2735" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2725|Viral Infections and Vectors" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Molecular biology/Molecular biology techniques/Artificial gene amplification and extension/Polymerase chain reaction/Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Entomology/Insects/Mosquitoes" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Infectious diseases of the nervous system/Meningitis" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Inflammatory diseases/Meningitis" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Infectious diseases of the nervous system/Meningitis" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Serology" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/Africa/South Africa" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Age groups" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Age groups/Children" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Families/Children" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Immunologic techniques/Immunoassays/Enzyme-linked immunoassays" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Molecular biology techniques/Artificial gene amplification and extension/Polymerase chain reaction/Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction" ] ], "openalex": "W7213927122", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-09-21", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/90jeq021erpd0.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biochemistry", "origin": "plos:molecular biology", "subfield": "molecular-biology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:zoology", "subfield": "zoology-behaviour" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:infectious diseases", "subfield": "infectious-disease" } ], "title": "Epidemiological investigation of Shuni virus infections in hospitals in two provinces of South Africa (2019–2021) using molecular and serological surveillance", "title_text": "Epidemiological investigation of Shuni virus infections in hospitals in two provinces of South Africa (2019–2021) using molecular and serological surveillance", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/90jeq021erpd0", "venue": "PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases", "versions": [] }