Rabies virus diversification in aerial and terrestrial mammals.

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic infection of the central nervous system of mammals and has been known to humans for millennia. The etiological agent, is a neurotropic RNA virus in the order Mononegavirales, family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. There are currently accepted to be two cycles for rabies transmission: the urban cycle and the sylvatic cycle.

First Genome Sequences of Dengue Virus (DENV) Strains Isolated during the First DENV-4 Outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil.

Dengue virus (DENV) is an arbovirus belonging to the genus , family In Brazil, the reemergence and spread of DENV type 4 (DENV-4) across the country were responsible for a significant outbreak in Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil. Here, we report the first genomic sequences of DENV strains circulating in Guarujá during the 2013 outbreak.

Rapid Molecular Detection of Zika Virus in Acute-Phase Urine Samples Using the Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay.

Background: Currently the detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) in patient samples is done by real-time RT-PCR. Samples collected from rural area are sent to highly equipped laboratories for screening. A rapid point-of-care test is needed to detect the virus, especially at low resource settings.

Laboratory strains of Aedes aegypti are competent to Brazilian Zika virus.

The Zika virus outbreaks are unprecedented human threat in relation to congenital malformations and neurological/autoimmune complications. Since this virus has high potential to spread in regions presenting the vectors, improvement in mosquito control is a top priority. Thus, Aedes aegypti laboratory strains will be fundamental to support studies in different research fields implicated on Zika-mosquito interactions which are the basis for the development of innovative control methods.

Protective efficacy of multiple vaccine platforms against Zika virus challenge in rhesus monkeys.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major ongoing epidemic in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly. The development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is therefore an urgent global health priority. Here we demonstrate that three different vaccine platforms protect against ZIKV challenge in rhesus monkeys.

Vaccine protection against Zika virus from Brazil.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that is responsible for the current epidemic in Brazil and the Americas. ZIKV has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly, intrauterine growth restriction, and other birth defects in both humans and mice. The rapid development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is a global health priority, but very little is currently known about ZIKV immunology and mechanisms of immune protection.

Epidemiological dynamics of an urban Dengue 4 outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Dengue studies at the urban scale are scarce and required for guiding control efforts. In Brazil, the burden of dengue is high and challenges city public health administrations with limited resources. Here we studied the dynamics of a dengue epidemic in a single city.

GenSeed-HMM: A Tool for Progressive Assembly Using Profile HMMs as Seeds and its Application in Alpavirinae Viral Discovery from Metagenomic Data.

This work reports the development of GenSeed-HMM, a program that implements seed-driven progressive assembly, an approach to reconstruct specific sequences from unassembled data, starting from short nucleotide or protein seed sequences or profile Hidden Markov Models (HMM). The program can use any one of a number of sequence assemblers. Assembly is performed in multiple steps and relatively few reads are used in each cycle, consequently the program demands low computational resources.

The Pangenome of the Anticarsia gemmatalis Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV).

The alphabaculovirus Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV) is the world's most successful viral bioinsecticide. Through the 1980s and 1990s, this virus was extensively used for biological control of populations of Anticarsia gemmatalis (Velvetbean caterpillar) in soybean crops. During this period, genetic studies identified several variable loci in the AgMNPV; however, most of them were not characterized at the sequence level.

Reassortment and distinct evolutionary dynamics of Rift Valley Fever virus genomic segments.

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a member of Bunyaviridae family that causes a febrile disease affecting mainly ruminants and occasionally humans in Africa, with symptoms that range from mid to severe. RVFV has a tri-segmented ssRNA genome that permits reassortment and could generate more virulent strains. In this study, we reveal the importance of reassortment for RVFV evolution using viral gene genealogy inference and phylodynamics.

Reemergence of Rift Valley fever, Mauritania, 2010.

A Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak in humans and animals occurred in Mauritania in 2010. Thirty cases of RVF in humans and 3 deaths were identified. RVFV isolates were recovered from humans, camels, sheep, goats, and Culex antennatus mosquitoes.

Molecular evolution of Zika virus during its emergence in the 20(th) century.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first isolated in Uganda in 1947. Although entomological and virologic surveillance have reported ZIKV enzootic activity in diverse countries of Africa and Asia, few human cases were reported until 2007, when a Zika fever epidemic took place in Micronesia. In the context of West Africa, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arboviruses and Hemorrhagic Fever at Institut Pasteur of Dakar (http://www.

Molecular phylogeography of tick-borne encephalitis virus in central Europe.

In order to obtain a better understanding of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) strain movements in central Europe the E gene sequences of 102 TBEV strains collected from 1953 to 2011 at 38 sites in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Germany were determined. Bayesian analysis suggests a 350-year history of evolution and spread in central Europe of two main lineages, A and B. In contrast to the east to west spread at the Eurasian continent level, local central European spreading patterns suggest historic west to east spread followed by more recent east to west spread.

Worldwide spread of Dengue virus type 1.

Background: DENV-1 is one of the four viral serotypes that causes Dengue, the most common mosquito-borne viral disease of humans. The prevalence of these viruses has grown in recent decades and is now present in more than 100 countries. Limited studies document the spread of DENV-1 over the world despite its importance for human health.

Dengue virus type 3 adaptive changes during epidemics in São Jose de Rio Preto, Brazil, 2006-2007.

Global dengue virus spread in tropical and sub-tropical regions has become a major international public health concern. It is evident that DENV genetic diversity plays a significant role in the immunopathology of the disease and that the identification of polymorphisms associated with adaptive responses is important for vaccine development. The investigation of naturally occurring genomic variants may play an important role in the comprehension of different adaptive strategies used by these mutants to evade the human immune system.

Phylodynamics and dispersal of HRSV entails its permanence in the general population in between yearly outbreaks in children.

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is one of the major etiologic agents of respiratory tract infections among children worldwide.

Methodology/principal Findings: Here through a comprehensive analysis of the two major HRSV groups A and B (n=1983) which comprise of several genotypes, we present a complex pattern of population dynamics of HRSV over a time period of 50 years (1956-2006). Circulation pattern of HRSV revealed a series of expansions and fluctuations of co-circulating lineages with a predominance of HRSVA.

The burden of dengue: Jundiaí, Brazil - January 2010.

Objective: To study the antibody prevalence against dengue in the municipality of Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil, due to the low number of official confirmed autochthonous cases.

Methods: A serological study on dengue infection was conducted during January 2010 and previous reports on dengue and entomological surveillance during that period were reviewed.

Results: A prevalence of 7.

First identification of Culex flavivirus (Flaviviridae) in Brazil.

Introduction: Culex flavivirus (CxFV) was first isolated in 2007 from Culex pipiens in Japan and then identified in several other countries. Characterization of the CxFV showed that all strains are related to the cell fusing agent virus. In this manuscript we report the first identification of CxFV in South America.

Phylogeography of Rift Valley Fever virus in Africa reveals multiple introductions in Senegal and Mauritania.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus (Family Bunyaviridae) is an arthropod-borne RNA virus that infects primarily domestic ruminants and occasionally humans. RVF epizootics are characterized by numerous abortions and mortality among young animals. In humans, the illness is usually characterized by a mild self-limited febrile illness, which could progress to more serious complications.

Phylogeographic analysis of HIV-1 subtype C dissemination in Southern Brazil.

The HIV-1 subtype C has spread efficiently in the southern states of Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná). Phylogeographic studies indicate that the subtype C epidemic in southern Brazil was initiated by the introduction of a single founder virus population at some time point between 1960 and 1980, but little is known about the spatial dynamics of viral spread. A total of 135 Brazilian HIV-1 subtype C pol sequences collected from 1992 to 2009 at the three southern state capitals (Porto Alegre, Florianópolis and Curitiba) were analyzed.