O’nyong nyong virus (ONNV)

Characteristics
Morphology	O’nyong nyong virus (ONNV) belongs to the Alphavirus genus in the Togaviridae family, and is closely related to other members of the Semliki Forest antigenic complex (ex. Chikungunya). ONNV has spherical, enveloped virions around 60-70 nm in diameter that contain single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome.
Growth Conditions	Cell Culture is often performed using Vero, C6/36, and HEK 293T cell lines (37°C, 5% C02)

Health Hazards
Host Range	Humans
Modes of Transmission	Anopheles funestus and Anopheles gambiae are the primary mosquito vectors for ONNV, but Aedes aegypti mosquito bites can also carry risk of transmission in rare cases (usually during the night for all species).
Signs and Symptoms	Most common symptoms include fever, joint pain, headache, generalized maculopapular skin rash, and conjunctivitis. ONNV infection has not resulted in any reported deaths, but it can be disabling in severe cases. Most patients feel better within a week. In some people, the joint pain may persist for months.
Infectious Dose	Unknown
Incubation Period	Greater than 8 days

Medical Precautions/Treatment
Prophylaxis	Avoid mosquito bites. Use insect repellent (containing DEET, picaridin, eucalyptus, or other natural and plant derived compounds) when travelling to areas with ONNV. Wear long sleeves and pants. Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens.
Vaccines	None publically available
Treatment	There is no specific treatment for ONNV, and the illness is usually a self-limited. Infected individuals should prevent insect bites for the first week of their illness to prevent transmission to vectors.
Surveillance	Monitor for symptoms. Confirmation is via detection of the viruses, RNA, or antibodies in blood samples.
GWU Requirements	Report all incidents to the Office of Risk Management as well as the Office of Research Safety (ORS) IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OCCURRENCE.

Containment
BSL-2/BSL-2+	Risk Group 2 classification is applied to ONNV. Containment Level 2 facilities, equipment, and operational practices for work involving infectious or potentially infectious material. All procedures that may produce aerosols, or involve high concentrations or large volumes should be conducted in a biological safety cabinet (BSC). The use of needles, syringes, and other sharp objects should be strictly limited. Solid-front gowns with tight-fitting wrists, gloves, and respiratory protection should be worn over laboratory clothing when infectious materials are directly handled. Enhanced containment practices should be taken when working with samples obtained from patients (due to presence of etiologic agents) or with active viral stocks
BSL-3	For manipulation of samples that could contain higher risk group pathogens, concentrated virus, or activities involving large-scale volumes
ABSL-2	For work with animals inoculated with ONNV, and their specimens.

Spill Procedures
Small Spills (<1 liter)	If the spill occurred inside a biological safety cabinet, close the sash and allow the cabinet to operate for 15 minutes before continuing with the spill cleanup. ONNV has no known cases of aerosol transmission, but extra caution should still be taken during a spill outside of a BSC. Leave the room immediately and allow the aerosols to dissipate for 15 minutes. Notify others working in the lab. Don appropriate PPE. Cover area of the spill with paper towels or any absorbent material and apply an EPA registered disinfectant effective against enveloped viruses (alcohols, bleach, and Micro-Chem), working from the perimeter towards the center. Allow 15-20 minutes of contact time before disposal and cleanup of spill materials.
Large Spills	Alert lab personnel in the laboratory to the spill and keep people out of the area to prevent spread of the contamination. Check if you have been contaminated or if any of your PPE has been breached. If so follow exposure procedures. Remove any contaminated clothing and place it the biohazard waste. Wash your hands and post a sign on the door. Notify your supervisor of the incident and call ORS (4-8258) for assistance. If the situation involves an imminently life-threatening injury or has catastrophic potential, call 911.

Spill Procedures

Small Spills (<1 liter)

If the spill occurred inside a biological safety cabinet, close the sash and allow the cabinet to operate for 15 minutes before continuing with the spill cleanup.

ONNV has no known cases of aerosol transmission, but extra caution should still be taken during a spill outside of a BSC. Leave the room immediately and allow the aerosols to dissipate for 15 minutes. Notify others working in the lab. Don appropriate PPE. Cover area of the spill with paper towels or any absorbent material and apply an EPA registered disinfectant effective against enveloped viruses (alcohols, bleach, and Micro-Chem), working from the perimeter towards the center. Allow 15-20 minutes of contact time before disposal and cleanup of spill materials.

Large Spills

Alert lab personnel in the laboratory to the spill and keep people out of the area to prevent spread of the contamination. Check if you have been contaminated or if any of your PPE has been breached. If so follow exposure procedures. Remove any contaminated clothing and place it the biohazard waste. Wash your hands and post a sign on the door. Notify your supervisor of the incident and call ORS (4-8258) for assistance. If the situation involves an imminently life-threatening injury or has catastrophic potential, call 911.

Exposure Procedures
Mucus Membrane	Flush eyes, mouth or nose for 15 minutes at eyewash station.
Other Exposure	Wash area with soap and water for 15 minutes.
Reporting	Report ALL injuries to the PI immediately and reported to the Office of Risk Management at [email protected] IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OCCURRENCE. Exposures that involve a bloodborne-pathogen or recombinant DNA also need to be reported to the Office of Research Safety at [email protected]. If the injury requires immediate medical attention, call GWPD at 202-994-6111 or call 911.
Medical Monitoring	Seek immediate medical evaluation, treatment, and post exposure follow-up at the Employee Health Office at GWU Hospital (900 23rd St., NW, Suite G-1090, Phone: 202-715-4275). Students should go to the Students Health Office at Marvin Center. After hours treatment can be received at the GWU hospital emergency room.

Stability
Disinfection	Susceptible to 70% Ethanol, 10% bleach, 5% Micro-Chem, and 2% glutaraldehyde. Sensitive to lipid solvents.
Inactivation	Inactivated by moist, dry heat > 58° C for 40 minutes; Sensitive to drying.
Survival Outside Host	Unknown, less than one day in culture medium at 37° C

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Minimum PPE Requirements	At minimum, personnel are required to don gloves, closed toed shoes, lab coat, and appropriate face and eye protection prior to working with ONNV. Additional PPE may be required depending on lab specific SOPs.
Additional Precautions	Additional protection may be worn over laboratory clothing when infectious materials are directly handled, such as solid-front gowns with tight fitting wrists, gloves, and respiratory protection.

References
O’nyong-nyong fever: a neglected mosquito-borne viral disease (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694854/) Model-based assessment of Chikungunya and O’nyong-nyong virus circulation in Mali in a serological cross-reactivity context (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26707-9) Pathogenicity and virulence of O’nyong-nyong virus: A less studied Togaviridae with pandemic potential (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11135837/) Methods of Inactivation of Highly Pathogenic Viruses for Molecular, Serology or Vaccine Development Purposes (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8879476/) Canadian PHAC (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-bi…)

References