West Nile Virus in Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Costa, Érica Azevedo
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Giovanetti, Marta, Catenacci, Lilian Silva, Fonseca, Vagner, Aburjaile, Flávia Figueira, Chalhoub, Flávia L. L, Xavier, Joilson, Iani, Felipe Campos de Melo, Vieira, Marcelo Adriano da Cunha e Silva, Henriques, Daniele Freitas, Medeiros, Daniele Barbosa de Almeida, Guedes, Maria Isabel Maldonado Coelho, Santos, Beatriz Senra Álvares da Silva, Silva, Aila Solimar Gonçalves, Maranhão, Renata de Pinto Albuquerque, Faria, Nieli Rodrigues da Costa, Siqueira, Renata Farinelli de, Oliveira, Tulio de, Cavalcante, Karina Ribeiro Leite Jardim, Moura, Noely Fabiana Oliveira de, Romano, Alessandro Pecego Martins, Albuquerque, Carlos Frederico Campelo de, Feitosa, Lauro César Soares, Bayeux, José Joffre Martins, Teixeira, Raffaella Bertoni Cavalcanti, Lobato, Osmaikon Lisboa, Silva, Silvokleio da Costa, Filippis, Ana Maria Bispo de, Cunha, Rivaldo Venâncio da, Lourenço, José, Alcantara, Luiz Carlos Júnior
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Digital do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Patuá)
• Texto Completo: https://patua.iec.gov.br/handle/iec/4398
• topic: Febre do Nilo Ocidental / patologia; Vírus do Nilo Ocidental / patogenicidade; Monitoramento Epidemiológico / veterinária; Genoma

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) was first sequenced in Brazil in 2019, when it was isolated from a horse in the Espírito Santo state. Despite multiple studies reporting serological evidence suggestive of past circulation since 2004, WNV remains a low priority for surveillance and public health, such that much is still unknown about its genomic diversity, evolution, and transmission in the country. Methods: A combination of diagnostic assays, nanopore sequencing, phylogenetic inference, and epidemiological modeling are here used to provide a holistic overview of what is known about WNV in Brazil. Results: We report new genetic evidence of WNV circulation in southern (Minas Gerais, São Paulo) and northeastern (Piauí) states isolated from equine red blood cells. A novel, climate-informed theoretical perspective of the potential transmission of WNV across the country highlights the state of Piauí as particularly relevant for WNV epidemiology in Brazil, although it does not reject possible circulation in other states. Conclusion: Our output demonstrates the scarceness of existing data, and that although there is sufficient evidence for the circulation and persistence of the virus, much is still unknown on its local evolution, epidemiology, and activity. We advocate for a shift to active surveillance, to ensure adequate preparedness for future epidemics with spill-over potential to humans.