An article with the participation of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) analyzes the expansion of the Oropouche virus to regions of Brazil outside the Amazon.
Published in the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the study addresses the genetic characteristics of the virus and ecological factors that drove its spread in 2024.
The study was led by the Carlos Chagas Institute (Fiocruz Paraná) and had the participation of the Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Virus Laboratory of IOC.
Also collaborating with the research: Instituto Leônidas and Maria Deane (Fiocruz Amazon); Aggeu Magalhaes Institute (Fiocruz Pernambuco); Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes); Central Public Health Laboratories (Lacens) of Santa Catarina, Paraná, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco; State Secretariat of Health of Paraná (Sesa/PR); and Secretariat of Health and Environmental Surveillance of the Ministry of Health (SVSA/MS).
Transmitted by the bite of the insect Culicoides paraensis, popularly known as the maruim or gunpowder mosquito, the Oropouche virus had a history of outbreaks restricted to the Amazon biome.
However, after a major epidemic in the Amazon between 2023 and 2024, outbreaks began to be reported throughout Brazil and other Latin American countries.
The newly published study confirmed that the new recombinant strain of Oropouche virus, which was identified in study led by IOC and ILMD and caused the epidemic in the Amazon between 2023 and 2024, spreading to other regions of the country at the beginning of this year.
The analysis shows that, outside the Amazon region, smaller cities faced more intense outbreaks. The incidence of the disease was about four times higher in cities with less than 50 inhabitants compared to large urban centers with more than 200 inhabitants.
An association was also observed between a greater number of Oropouche cases and a larger area of banana plantations in cities, which creates an environment conducive to the proliferation of the disease vector.
Genomic analysis indicated multiple dispersal events of the new lineage of the Oropouche virus from the Amazon to other regions of the country, with the estimate that the introductions occurred 50 to 100 days before the detection of the outbreaks in each state.
Researchers also noted that the virus has been acquiring new mutations, both inside and outside the Amazon region, the biological impact of which still needs to be investigated.
According to the authors, the findings are important for understanding the unprecedented geographic spread of the Oropouche virus and guiding public policies to control the pathogen.
Scientists also emphasize that it is essential to maintain genomic surveillance to monitor the dynamics of the disease outside the Amazon region.
Article: Gräf, T., Delatorre, E., do Nascimento Ferreira, C., et al. Expansion of Oropouche virus in non-endemic Brazilian regions: analysis of genomic characterization and ecological drivers. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2024. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00687-X
*Cover photo: Efraimstochter/Pixabay
An article with the participation of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) analyzes the expansion of the Oropouche virus to regions of Brazil outside the Amazon.
Published in the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the study addresses the genetic characteristics of the virus and ecological factors that drove its spread in 2024.
The study was led by the Carlos Chagas Institute (Fiocruz Paraná) and had the participation of the Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Virus Laboratory of IOC.
Also collaborating with the research: Instituto Leônidas and Maria Deane (Fiocruz Amazon); Aggeu Magalhaes Institute (Fiocruz Pernambuco); Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes); Central Public Health Laboratories (Lacens) of Santa Catarina, Paraná, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco; State Secretariat of Health of Paraná (Sesa/PR); and Secretariat of Health and Environmental Surveillance of the Ministry of Health (SVSA/MS).
Transmitted by the bite of the insect Culicoides paraensis, popularly known as the maruim or gunpowder mosquito, the Oropouche virus had a history of outbreaks restricted to the Amazon biome.
However, after a major epidemic in the Amazon between 2023 and 2024, outbreaks began to be reported throughout Brazil and other Latin American countries.
The newly published study confirmed that the new recombinant strain of Oropouche virus, which was identified in study led by IOC and ILMD and caused the epidemic in the Amazon between 2023 and 2024, spreading to other regions of the country at the beginning of this year.
The analysis shows that, outside the Amazon region, smaller cities faced more intense outbreaks. The incidence of the disease was about four times higher in cities with less than 50 inhabitants compared to large urban centers with more than 200 inhabitants.
An association was also observed between a greater number of Oropouche cases and a larger area of banana plantations in cities, which creates an environment conducive to the proliferation of the disease vector.
Genomic analysis indicated multiple dispersal events of the new lineage of the Oropouche virus from the Amazon to other regions of the country, with the estimate that the introductions occurred 50 to 100 days before the detection of the outbreaks in each state.
Researchers also noted that the virus has been acquiring new mutations, both inside and outside the Amazon region, the biological impact of which still needs to be investigated.
According to the authors, the findings are important for understanding the unprecedented geographic spread of the Oropouche virus and guiding public policies to control the pathogen.
Scientists also emphasize that it is essential to maintain genomic surveillance to monitor the dynamics of the disease outside the Amazon region.
Article: Gräf, T., Delatorre, E., do Nascimento Ferreira, C., et al. Expansion of Oropouche virus in non-endemic Brazilian regions: analysis of genomic characterization and ecological drivers. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2024. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00687-X
*Cover photo: Efraimstochter/Pixabay
The non-profit reproduction of the text is allowed as long as the source is cited (Comunicação / Instituto Oswaldo Cruz)
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