Neurological disease caused by Oropouche virus in northern Brazil: should it be included in the scope of clinical neurological diseases?

We describe two neurological cases of Oropouche virus infection in northern Brazil, where the virus is endemic but neglected as a pathogen. This study reiterates the necessity of developing protocols for diagnosing infections and training medical personnel to recognize the pathogenicity of Oropouche virus in neurological infections.

Single shot of 17D vaccine may not confer life-long protection against yellow fever.

The yellow fever (YF) vaccine has been used since the 1930s to prevent YF, which is a severe infectious disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), and mainly transmitted by Culicidae mosquitoes from the genera Aedes and Haemagogus . Until 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the administration of a vaccine dose every ten years. A new recommendation of a single vaccine dose to confer life-long protection against YFV infection has since been established.

New Virus Genome Sequences of the Guama Serogroup (Genus , Family ), Isolated in the Brazilian Amazon Region.

This is the first announcement of two nearly complete viral genome sequences belonging to the Guama serogroup (genus , family ) isolated in the Brazilian Amazon region: (MIRV; BEAN7722) and (ANUV; BEAN109303).

Understanding Zika Virus Stability and Developing a Chimeric Vaccine through Functional Analysis.

Unlabelled: Compared with other flaviviruses, Zika virus (ZIKV) is uniquely associated with congenital diseases in pregnant women. One recent study reported that (i) ZIKV has higher thermostability than dengue virus (DENV [a flavivirus closely related to ZIKV]), which might contribute to the disease outcome; (ii) the higher thermostability of ZIKV could arise from an extended loop structure in domain III of the viral envelope (E) protein and an extra hydrogen-bond interaction between E molecules (V. A.

Virus Infections on Prion Diseased Mice Exacerbate Inflammatory Microglial Response.

We investigated possible interaction between an arbovirus infection and the ME7 induced mice prion disease. C57BL/6, females, 6-week-old, were submitted to a bilateral intrahippocampal injection of ME7 prion strain (ME7) or normal brain homogenate (NBH). After injections, animals were organized into two groups: NBH ( = 26) and ME7 ( = 29).

Zika virus epidemic in Brazil. I. Fatal disease in adults: Clinical and laboratorial aspects.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Brazil in May 2015 and the country experienced an explosive epidemic. However, recent studies indicate that the introduction of ZIKV occurred in late 2013. Cases of microcephaly and deaths associated with ZIKV infection were identified in Brazil in November, 2015.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome After Zika Virus Infection in Brazil.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging flavivirus, which has caused a widespread outbreak in the Americas. Shortly after its introduction in 2015, a cluster of cases with Guillain-Barré syndrome was detected in Brazil. Herein, we describe two cases from the city of Salvador, who developed ascending paresis after an acute exanthematous illness.

Zika Virus: Diagnosis, Therapeutics, and Vaccine.

The current explosive epidemic of Zika virus in South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, poses a global public health emergency. Here we comment on the challenges on development of better diagnosis and potential therapeutics and vaccine for Zika virus.

Yellow Fever Remains a Potential Threat to Public Health.

Yellow fever (YF) remains a serious public health threat in endemic countries. The recent re-emergence in Africa, initiating in Angola and spreading to Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with imported cases in China and Kenya is of concern. There is such a shortage of YF vaccine in the world that the World Health Organization has proposed the use of reduced doses (1/5) during emergencies.

Gene Polymorphisms and Serum Levels of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Markers in Dengue Viral Infections.

Pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, TNF-β, interferon [IFN]-γ, interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, IL-10, and C-reactive protein [CRP]) were investigated in 80 patients infected with dengue viruses, 100 patients presenting with febrile illness but negative for dengue, and 99 healthy subjects. Immunoenzyme methods were used for quantitative assays in the plasma. Polymorphisms of TNF-α, TNF-β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 genes were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism and allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO)-PCR for the IFN-γ.

Ectoparasites of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Atlantic forest fragments in north-eastern Brazil.

In Brazil, most studies involving parasites of bats (bat flies) treat the mid-west, south-east, and south of the country. This work aimed to characterize the ectoparasites community associated with bats in the Atlantic forest in the state of Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil. Sampling was conducted between January and June 2013 in the Serra de Itabaiana National Park (PNSI) and between November 2013 and June 2015 in the Wildlife Refuge Mata do Junco (RVSMJ).

Frequency of histopathological changes in Howler monkeys ( Alouatta sp.) naturally infected with yellow fever virus in Brazil.

Introduction: Due to the importance that Howler monkeys have on the yellow fever (YF) epidemiological sylvatic cycle in Brazil, more accurate morphological diagnostic criteria needs to be established, especially considering the differences that may exist between the genera of Brazilian non-human primates (NHPs) involved in yellow fever virus (YFV) epizootics.

Methods: Records of YF epizootics in NHPs in Brazil between 2007 and 2009 were obtained from the Brazilian Ministry of Health database to select YF positive (n=98) Howler monkeys (Alouatta sp.) for this study.

VIROLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF RABIES IN BATS FROM AN URBAN AREA IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON.

The outbreaks of rabies in humans transmitted by Desmodus rotundus in 2004 and 2005, in the northeast of the Brazilian State of Para, eastern Amazon basin, made this a priority area for studies on this zoonosis. Given this, the present study provides data on this phenomenon in an urban context, in order to assess the possible circulation of the classic rabies virus (RABV) among bat species in Capanema, a town in the Amazon basin. Bats were collected, in 2011, with mist nets during the wet and dry seasons.

Emergence of Human Arboviral Diseases in the Americas, 2000-2016.

In addition to individual or clusters of cases of human infections with arboviruses, the past 15 years has seen the emergence of newly recognized arboviruses and the re-emergence of others. Mentioned in this brief summary are Bourbon, Cache Valley, chikungunya, Heartland, Itaqui, Mayaro, Oropouche, Powassan, and Zika viruses, the latter being a remarkable occurrence.

Inhangapi Virus: Genome Sequencing of a Brazilian Ungrouped Rhabdovirus Isolated in the Amazon Region.

We report here nearly complete genome sequence of Inhangapi virus (INHV) strain BEAR177325, which was isolated from a pool of sandflies (Lutzomyia flaviscutellata) in the Utinga neighborhood, Belém (01º28´S 48°27'W), State of Pará, Brazil, in 1969. The genome of this virus showed similarity with members belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae.

Parasite-host interactions of bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) in Brazilian tropical dry forests.

Studies on the parasitology of ectoparasitic bat flies are scarce, and they are needed to identify patterns in parasitism. Hence, in the present study, we assessed community composition, prevalence, average infestation intensity, and specificity in the fly-bat associations in Brazilian tropical dry forests. In order to do that, we used the parasitological indices known as prevalence and average infestation intensity, along with an index of host specificity.

Analysis of a Reverse Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) for yellow fever diagnostic.

Yellow Fever virus (YFV) is an important human pathogen in tropical areas of Africa and South America. Although an efficient vaccine is available and has been used since the early 1940s, sylvatic YFV transmission still occurs in forested areas where anthropogenic actions are present, such as mineral extraction, rearing livestock and agriculture, and ecological tourism. In this context, two distinct techniques based on the RT-PCR derived method have been previously developed, however both methods are expensive due to the use of thermo cyclers and labeled probes.

Chikungunya risk for Brazil.

This study aimed to show, based on the literature on the subject, the potential for dispersal and establishment of the chikungunya virus in Brazil. The chikungunya virus, a Togaviridae member of the genusAlphavirus, reached the Americas in 2013 and, the following year, more than a million cases were reported. In Brazil, indigenous transmission was registered in Amapa and Bahia States, even during the period of low rainfall, exposing the whole country to the risk of virus spreading.

Booster dose after 10 years is recommended following 17DD-YF primary vaccination.

A single vaccination of Yellow Fever vaccines is believed to confer life-long protection. In this study, results of vaccinees who received a single dose of 17DD-YF immunization followed over 10 y challenge this premise. YF-neutralizing antibodies, subsets of memory T and B cells as well as cytokine-producing lymphocytes were evaluated in groups of adults before (NVday0) and after (PVday30-45, PVyear1-4, PVyear5-9, PVyear10-11, PVyear12-13) 17DD-YF primary vaccination.

Antibody-enhanced dengue disease generates a marked CNS inflammatory response in the black-tufted marmoset Callithrix penicillata.

Severe dengue disease is often associated with long-term neurological impairments, but it is unclear what mechanisms are associated with neurological sequelae. Previously, we demonstrated antibody-enhanced dengue disease (ADE) dengue in an immunocompetent mouse model with a dengue virus 2 (DENV2) antibody injection followed by DENV3 virus infection. Here we migrated this ADE model to Callithrix penicillata.

West Nile Virus Encephalitis: The First Human Case Recorded in Brazil.

A Brazilian ranch worker with encephalitis and flaccid paralysis was evaluated in the regional Acute Encephalitis Syndromic Surveillance Program. This was the first Brazilian patient who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmation criteria for West Nile virus disease. Owing to the overlapping of neurological manifestations attributable to several viral infections of the central nervous system, this report exemplifies the importance of human acute encephalitis surveillance.

Three-dimensional morphometric analysis of microglial changes in a mouse model of virus encephalitis: age and environmental influences.

Many RNA virus CNS infections cause neurological disease. Because Piry virus has a limited human pathogenicity and exercise reduces activation of microglia in aged mice, possible influences of environment and aging on microglial morphology and behavior in mice sublethal encephalitis were investigated. Female albino Swiss mice were raised either in standard (S) or in enriched (EE) cages from age 2 to 6 months (young - Y), or from 2 to 16 months (aged - A).

Emergence and potential for spread of Chikungunya virus in Brazil.

Background: In December 2013, an outbreak of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused by the Asian genotype was notified in the Caribbean. The outbreak has since spread to 38 regions in the Americas. By September 2014, the first autochthonous CHIKV infections were confirmed in Oiapoque, North Brazil, and in Feira de Santana, Northeast Brazil.