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Oropouche virus isolation, southeast Brazil
Márcio Roberto Teixeira Nunes1, Lívia Carício Martins, Sueli Guerreiro Rodrigues
1Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, Pará, Brazil. marcionunes@iec.pa.gov.br
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|December 2, 2005
Summary
Oropouche virus was found in a new host, the marmoset (Callithrix sp.), in Brazil. This genotype III strain, previously only seen in Panama, highlights the virus
Area of Science:
- Arbovirology
- Viral genomics
- Zoonotic disease research
Background:
- Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emergent arbovirus with significant public health impact in South America.
- Previous OROV genotype III isolates were exclusively reported in Panama.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the isolation and characterization of a novel Oropouche virus strain.
- To identify the host and geographical origin of the new OROV isolate.
- To determine the phylogenetic relationship of the novel OROV strain.
Main Methods:
- Virus isolation from blood samples of a novel host.
- Identification using complement fixation test.
- Confirmation via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
- Phylogenetic analysis of viral genetic sequences.
Main Results:
- A novel Oropouche virus strain was successfully isolated from a marmoset (Callithrix sp.) in Arinos, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- The isolate was confirmed as Oropouche virus using serological and molecular methods.
- Phylogenetic analysis revealed the strain belongs to genotype III, previously only documented in Panama.
Conclusions:
- This finding expands the known host range and geographical distribution of Oropouche virus genotype III.
- The presence of OROV genotype III in Brazil suggests potential for wider circulation and necessitates enhanced surveillance.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of this novel OROV strain for public health.