Mosquito Fauna and Spatial Distribution in an Atlantic Forest Area in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, Reveal a High Risk of Transmission of Yellow Fever and Other Arboviruses

In 2017–2019, Brazil recorded its most severe outbreak of yellow fever due to the spread of the virus (YFV) in the country’s southeast. Here, we investigated mosquito fauna and the spatial distribution of species in a primatology center in the Atlantic Forest bioregion in Rio de Janeiro state to evaluate the risk of YFV transmission in distinct environments. Fortnightly mosquito collections were performed from December 2018 to December 2019 at 12 sites along a disturbance gradient from a modified environment to 400 m inside the forest. We used ovitraps, BG-Sentinel, and protected human attraction (PHA). A total of 9349 mosquitoes of 21 species were collected. The collection method strongly influenced the captured fauna, with species such as Anopheles cruzii, Psorophora ferox, Runchomyia cerqueirai, Wyeomyia incaudata, Wy. theobaldi, Sabethes chloropterus, and Sa. albiprivus only collected via PHA. Collections with ovitraps resulted in low diversity and richness, with Haemagogus leucocelaenus and Hg. janthinomys/capricornii predominating. The diverse local fauna and the abundance and ubiquity of the latter species, which are the primary vectors of YFV, indicated that this area was highly vulnerable to arbovirus transmission, especially yellow fever, highlighting the need for improved surveillance and vaccination coverage in human and captive endangered non-human primates

Author Correction: Low vector competence in sylvatic mosquitoes limits Zika virus to initiate an enzootic cycle in South America

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Genome analysis of yellow fever virus of Brazil ongoing outbreak reveals polymorphisms

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-04-15T14:02:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 myrna_bonaldo_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 984162 bytes, checksum: 20aee3932135122c8774a8618634261b (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-04-15T14:16:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 myrna_bonaldo_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 984162 bytes, checksum: 20aee3932135122c8774a8618634261b (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-15T14:16:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 myrna_bonaldo_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 984162 bytes, checksum: 20aee3932135122c8774a8618634261b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais. MG, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilThe current yellow fever (YF) outbreak in Brazil is the most severe recently reported in the country. It has rapidly spread to areas where YF viral activity have not been observed for more than seventy years and vaccine coverage is almost null. Here, we sequenced the whole YF genome of two naturally infected howler-monkeys (Alouatta clamitans) from the Municipality of Domingos Martins, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The ongoing-outbreak genome sequences are identical. They clustered in 1E sub-clade (South America I genotype) together with recent Brazilian and Venezuelan strains characterized from infections in humans and non-humans primates. However, we detected eight unique amino acid changes in the viral proteins, which are located in the structural capsid protein (1 change), and the components of viral replicase complex, the NS3 (2 changes) and NS5 (5 changes) proteins, suggesting a potential role in the capacity of viral infection to vertebrate and/or invertebrate hosts and spreading in the ongoing outbreak

First detection of natural infection of Aedes aegypti with Zika virus in Brazil and throughout South America

Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused a major epidemic in Brazil and several other American countries. ZIKV is an arbovirus whose natural vectors during epidemics have been poorly determined. In this study, 1,683 mosquitoes collected in the vicinity of ZIKV suspected cases in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 2015 to May 2016 were screened for natural infection by using molecular methods. Three pools of Aedes aegypti were found with the ZIKV genome, one of which had only one male. This finding supports the occurrence of vertical and/or venereal transmission of ZIKV in Ae. aegypti in nature. None of the examined Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus was positive. This is the first report of natural infection by ZIKV in mosquitoes in Brazil and other South American countries. So far, Ae. aegypti is the only confirmed vector of ZIKV during the ongoing Pan-American epidemics

Zika virus can be venereally transmitted between Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2018-01-16T11:36:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 stephanie_campos_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 372285 bytes, checksum: 1667a7aa47a1d364612c19c9d9eb2a5f (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2018-01-16T11:45:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 stephanie_campos_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 372285 bytes, checksum: 1667a7aa47a1d364612c19c9d9eb2a5f (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-16T11:45:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 stephanie_campos_etal_IOC_2017.pdf: 372285 bytes, checksum: 1667a7aa47a1d364612c19c9d9eb2a5f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Bilogia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Parasitos e Vetores. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Institut Pasteur. Arboviruses and Insect Vectors. Paris, France.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Bilogia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Background: Alternative transmission routes have been described for Zika virus (ZIKV). Here, we assessed for the first time the venereal transmission of ZIKV between Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions. Results: Orally-infected mosquito females were able to transmit the virus to males venereally, and males inoculated intrathoracically were capable of infecting females during mating. The genome of venereally-transmitted virus recovered from males was identical to that of ZIKV ingested by mated females. Conclusion: We conclude that venereal transmission between Aedes mosquitoes might contribute to Zika virus maintenance in nature

First detection of natural infection of Aedes aegypti with Zika virus in Brazil and throughout South America

Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused a major epidemic in Brazil and several other American countries. ZIKV is an arbovirus whose natural vectors during epidemics have been poorly determined. In this study, 1,683 mosquitoes collected in the vicinity of ZIKV suspected cases in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 2015 to May 2016 were screened for natural infection by using molecular methods. Three pools of Aedes aegypti were found with the ZIKV genome, one of which had only one male. This finding supports the occurrence of vertical and/or venereal transmission of ZIKV in Ae. aegypti in nature. None of the examined Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus was positive. This is the first report of natural infection by ZIKV in mosquitoes in Brazil and other South American countries. So far, Ae. aegypti is the only confirmed vector of ZIKV during the ongoing Pan-American epidemics

Culex quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro Is Not Competent to Transmit the Local Zika Virus

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-12-08T10:33:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-12-08T10:47:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T10:47:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Doenças Febris Agudas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Institut Pasteur. Arboviruses and Insect Vectors. Paris, France.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.The Americas have suffered a dramatic epidemic of Zika since May in 2015, when Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Brazil. Mosquitoes belonging to subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes, particularly Aedes aegypti, are considered the primary vectors of ZIKV. However, the rapid spread of the virus across the continent raised several concerns about the transmission dynamics, especially about potential mosquito vectors. The purpose of this work was to assess the vector competence of the house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus from an epidemic Zika area, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for local circulating ZIKV isolates

Combination of surveillance tools reveals that Yellow Fever virus can remain in the same Atlantic Forest area at least for three transmission seasons

BACKGROUND In Brazil, the Yellow Fever virus (YFV) is endemic in the Amazon, from where it eventually expands into epidemic waves. Coastal south-eastern (SE) Brazil, which has been a YFV-free region for eight decades, has reported a severe sylvatic outbreak since 2016. The virus spread from the north toward the south of the Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state, causing 307 human cases with 105 deaths during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 transmission seasons. It is unclear, however, whether the YFV would persist in the coastal Atlantic Forest of RJ during subsequent transmission seasons. OBJECTIVES To conduct a real-time surveillance and assess the potential persistence of YFV in the coastal Atlantic Forest of RJ during the 2018-2019 transmission season. METHODS We combined epizootic surveillance with fast diagnostic and molecular, phylogenetic, and evolutionary analyses. FINDINGS Using this integrative strategy, we detected the first evidence of YFV re-emergence in the third transmission season (2018-2019) in a dying howler monkey from the central region of the RJ state. The YFV detected in 2019 has the molecular signature associated with the current SE YFV outbreak and exhibited a close phylogenetic relationship with the YFV lineage that circulated in the same Atlantic Forest fragment during the past seasons. This lineage circulated along the coastal side of the Serra do Mar mountain chain, and its evolution seems to be mainly driven by genetic drift. The potential bridge vector Aedes albopictus was found probing on the recently dead howler monkey in the forest edge, very close to urban areas. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our data revealed that YFV transmission persisted at the same Atlantic Forest area for at least three consecutive transmission seasons without the need of new introductions. Our real-time surveillance strategy permitted health authorities to take preventive actions within 48 h after the detection of the sick non-human primate. The local virus persistence and the proximity of the epizootic forest to urban areas reinforces the concern with regards to the risk of re-urbanisation and seasonal re-emergence of YFV, stressing the need for continuous effective surveillance and high vaccination coverage in the SE region, particularly in RJ, an important tourist location