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Volume 32, Number 5—May 2026

Research Letter

Genomic Surveillance of Lassa Virus through In-Country Sequencing, Guinea

Jacob Camara1, Giuditta Annibaldis1Comments to Author , Joon Klaps1, Kékoura Ifono1, Fara Raymond Koundouno, Youssouf Sidibé, Sarah Ryter, Moussa Conde, Saa Lucien Millimono, Mette Hinrichs, Julia Hinzmann, Nils Peter Petersen, Mia Le, Annick Renevey, Ehizojie Ehiremen Emua, Philippe Lemey, Simon Dellicour, Stephan Günther, N’Faly Magassouba2, Sophie Duraffour2, Liana Eleni Kafetzopoulou2, and Sanaba Boumbaly2
Author affiliation: Center for Virology Research—Laboratory for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in Guinea, Conakry, Guinea (J. Camara, M. Conde, N. Magassouba, S. Boumbaly); Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany (G. Annibaldis, S. Ryter, M. Hinrichs, J. Hinzmann, N.P. Petersen, M. Le, A. Renevey, S. Günther, S. Duraffour); German Center for Infection Research, partner site Hamburg–Lübeck–Borstel–Riems, Hamburg (G. Annibaldis, S. Ryter, M. Hinrichs, J. Hinzmann, N.P. Petersen, M. Le, A. Renevey, S. Günther, S. Duraffour); Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (J. Klaps, P. Lemey, S. Dellicour, L.E. Kafetzopoulou); Laboratory for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers of Guéckédou, Prefectural Health Department of Guéckédou, Guéckédou, Guinea (K. Ifono, F.R. Koundouno, S.L. Millimono); Laboratory for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers at Regional Hospital of N’Zérékoré, Regional Hospital of N’Zérékoré, N’Zérékoré, Guinea (Y. Sidibé); University of Hamburg, Hamburg (M. Le); Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria (E.E. Emua); Spatial Epidemiology Lab, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium (S. Dellicour); Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels (S. Dellicour); Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (L.E. Kafetzopoulou)

Main Article

Figure 1

Phylogeographic reconstruction of the dispersal history of Lassa virus lineage IV from study of genomic surveillance of Lassa virus through in-country sequencing, Guinea. A, B) Results of the continuous phylogeographic inference based on large (A) and small (B) segment sequences. For each analysis, the corresponding maximum clade credibility tree is mapped with internal and tip nodes colored according to their estimated time of occurrence and sampling date. Tip nodes corresponding to newly sequenced cases from this study are highlighted in red. Shaded polygons represent the 80% highest posterior density regions, reflecting uncertainty in internal node location inference. The estimated root of lineage IV, dating to the 17th–18th Centuries, is indicated by dashed squares in the southeastern (forested) region of Guinea. C, D) Maps highlighting specific transmission dynamics in Guéckédou (C) and N’Zérékoré (D), illustrating the dense local clustering and the cross-border introductions from Liberia (Ganta) into the N’Zérékoré region.

Figure 1. Phylogeographic reconstruction of the dispersal history of Lassa virus lineage IV from study of genomic surveillance of Lassa virus through in-country sequencing, Guinea. A, B) Results of the continuous phylogeographic inference based on large (A) and small (B) segment sequences. For each analysis, the corresponding maximum clade credibility tree is mapped with internal and tip nodes colored according to their estimated time of occurrence and sampling date. Tip nodes corresponding to newly sequenced cases from this study are highlighted in red. Shaded polygons represent the 80% highest posterior density regions, reflecting uncertainty in internal node location inference. The estimated root of lineage IV, dating to the 17th–18th Centuries, is indicated by dashed squares in the southeastern (forested) region of Guinea. C, D) Maps highlighting specific transmission dynamics in Guéckédou (C) and N’Zérékoré (D), illustrating the dense local clustering and the cross-border introductions from Liberia (Ganta) into the N’Zérékoré region.

Main Article

1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

2These senior authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: March 23, 2026
Page updated: April 28, 2026
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