Publications by authors named "Francisco Arroyo-Murillo"
The genealogy of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the genus remains elusive despite numerous recently discovered animal hepaciviruses (HVs). Viruses from evolutionarily ancient mammals might elucidate the HV macro-evolutionary patterns. Here, we investigated sixty-seven two-toed and nine three-toed sloths from Costa Rica for HVs using molecular and serological tools.
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- Sloths are unique mammals that can host phleboviruses, which are viruses spread by arthropods, but detections of these viruses in sloths are rare.
- In a 2014 study, scientists identified a new phlebovirus, tentatively named Penshurt virus (PEHV), in a healthy Hoffmann's two-toed sloth in Costa Rica, with a close genetic relationship to the earlier isolated Anhanga virus (ANHV).
- The study suggests that while PEHV shows evidence of genetic adaptation to sloths, it does not display significant positive selection pressures, indicating similar evolutionary dynamics across phleboviruses infecting various hosts.
Sloths may serve as host to a wide range of parasites. However, there is little information available on the types of parasites that affect Costa Rica's sloth population. During a 1-yr period, 65 specimens of Costa Rican sloth species (Choloepus hoffmanni; n = 56) and Bradypus variegates; n = 9) from a local zoo were sampled.
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