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Published on: December 27, 2010
Phylogeographic dynamics of oropouche virus in the Colombian Amazon: Evolutionary insights in a climatic context
Laura S Perez- Restrepo1,2, Jaime Usuga1,2, Alejandro Vasquez1,2
1Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Medellín, Colombia.
Background:
In 2024, the largest RT-qPCR-confirmed outbreak of Oropouche virus (OROV) in 70 years occurred in the Brazilian Amazon, raising concerns about transmission and viral evolution in the neighboring Colombian Amazon Basin. This study characterizes the genetic diversity, epidemiology, and climatic context of OROV transmission during the 2024 outbreak in Leticia, Colombia.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Through a large-scale febrile surveillance program, we detected 41 OROV-positive cases in Leticia in 2024. Molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and phylogenetic/phylogeographic analyses revealed the co-circulation of two distinct lineages. Fifteen sequences clustered within a lineage linked to previous outbreaks (PE/CO/EC-2008-2021), while 26 belonged to a reassortant lineage associated with the unprecedented 2024 outbreak (BR-2015-2024). This new reassortant lineage (BR-2015-2024) progressively displaced the traditional PE/CO/EC-2008-2021 lineage. Bayesian skyline analysis of 627 OROV genomes from Colombia and neighboring countries confirmed the decline of the historic lineage and the rapid expansion of the BR-2015-2024 lineage beginning in 2022, surpassing the former dominant strain by 2023. Time-series analyses further indicated that OROV outbreak peaks coincided with major ocean temperature transitions, specifically from La Niña to neutral conditions in early 2021 and from El Niño to neutral conditions in early 2024.
Conclusions/Significance:
Our findings demonstrate the dynamic evolutionary landscape of OROV in the Colombian Amazon, with the emergence of a new reassortant lineage (BR-2015-2024) now driving transmission. The temporal correspondence between oceanic climate variability and outbreak timing suggests environmental factors may modulate OROV dynamics. These results emphasize the importance of integrated genomic surveillance and climate monitoring to strengthen outbreak underlying factors understanding and prediction and guide public health responses in the Amazon Basin.
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