Leibniz Junior Research Group Oestereich

Die Mitgleider der Leibniz Junior Laborgrppe Oestereich sind hier dargestellt und stehen versammelt auf einer Treppe.

The members of the Junior Research Group Oestereich stand next to each other with smiling faces for a group picture. Some trees and a building are visible in the background.

©Research Group Oestereich©BNITM

Overview

Lassa virus (LASV) is a zoonotic pathogen that is endemic in several West African countries. It causes annual outbreaks of Lassa fever (LF) with a case fatality rate of 20-30% in hospitalized patients. LASV belongs to the family of Arenaviridae and is transmitted from it’s wildly distributed natural rodent host Mastomys natalensis to humans through the direct contact with infected animals or via contaminated household items or food. However, human-to-human transmission is possible and occurs mostly in hospital settings. LASV causes annual outbreaks of Lassa fever (LF) with 100,000 – 300,000 estimated infections and 5,000 deaths per year based on seroprevalence studies.

Applications of motivated students are always welcome! If you are interested in immunology and virus research, please apply via email to Dr. Lisa Oestereich.