Dynamics of early establishment of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron lineages in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Brazil is one of the nations most affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The introduction and establishment of new virus variants can be related to an increase in cases and fatalities. The emergence of Omicron, the most modified SARS-CoV-2 variant, caused alarm for the public health of Brazil. In this study, we examined the effects of the Omicron introduction in Minas Gerais (MG), the second-most populous state of Brazil. A total of 430 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples from November 2021 to June 2022 from Belo Horizonte (BH) city were sequenced. These newly sequenced genomes comprise 72% of all previously available SARS-CoV-2 genomes for the city. Evolutionary analysis of novel viral genomes reveals that a great diversity of Omicron sublineages have circulated in BH, a pattern in-keeping with observations across Brazil more generally. Bayesian phylogeographic reconstructions indicate that this diversity is a product of a large number of international and national importations. As observed previously, São Paulo state is shown as a significant hub for viral spread throughout the country, contributing to around 70% of all viral Omicron introductions detected in MG

Anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests can double biodiversity loss from deforestation

Concerted political attention has focused on reducing deforestation1,2,3, and this remains the cornerstone of most biodiversity conservation strategies4,5,6. However, maintaining forest cover may not reduce anthropogenic forest disturbances, which are rarely considered in conservation programmes6. These disturbances occur both within forests, including selective logging and wildfires7,8, and at the landscape level, through edge, area and isolation effects9. Until now, the combined effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the conservation value of remnant primary forests has remained unknown, making it impossible to assess the relative importance of forest disturbance and forest loss. Here we address these knowledge gaps using a large data set of plants, birds and dung beetles (1,538, 460 and 156 species, respectively) sampled in 36 catchments in the Brazilian state of Pará. Catchments retaining more than 69–80% forest cover lost more conservation value from disturbance than from forest loss. For example, a 20% loss of primary forest, the maximum level of deforestation allowed on Amazonian properties under Brazil’s Forest Code5, resulted in a 39–54% loss of conservation value: 96–171% more than expected without considering disturbance effects. We extrapolated the disturbance-mediated loss of conservation value throughout Pará, which covers 25% of the Brazilian Amazon. Although disturbed forests retained considerable conservation value compared with deforested areas, the toll of disturbance outside Pará’s strictly protected areas is equivalent to the loss of 92,000–139,000 km2 of primary forest. Even this lowest estimate is greater than the area deforested across the entire Brazilian Amazon between 2006 and 2015 (ref. 10). Species distribution models showed that both landscape and within-forest disturbances contributed to biodiversity loss, with the greatest negative effects on species of high conservation and functional value. These results demonstrate an urgent need for policy interventions that go beyond the maintenance of forest cover to safeguard the hyper-diversity of tropical forest ecosystems

Hepatitis C incidence in hemodialysis patients in Brazil from 2000 to 2003.

O estudo visou estimar a incid?ncia dos fatores associados ? soroconvers?o para o anti-HCV em pacientes em hemodi?lise no Sistema ?nico de Sa?de (SUS). Trata-se de um estudo prospectivo, n?o concorrente, utilizando dados de pacientes identificados por relacionamento determin?stico- probabil?stico nos registros dos sistemas de informa??o do SUS. Foram inclu?dos 47.079 pacientes que iniciaram em hemodi?lise no per?odo de 1o de janeiro de 2000 a 31 de dezembro de 2003, acompanhados at? a soroconvers?o ou o t?rmino do estudo em 2004. Nesta pesquisa, 3% dos pacientes em hemodi?lise apresentaram soroconvers?o para anti-HCV (incid?ncia de 1,7 soroconvers?o por 100 pacientes/ano). Maior risco de soroconvers?o para o anti-HCV foi associado com idade, glomerulonefrites, regi?o de resid?ncia, anti-HIV positivo e efeito da unidade de di?lise. A incid?ncia observada de soroconvers?o para anti-HCV foi semelhante ? registrada em alguns pa?ses desenvolvidos, destacando-se a evid?ncia de transmiss?o entre os pacientes em hemodi?lise