Genomic epidemiology unveils the dynamics and spatial corridor behind the Yellow Fever virus outbreak in Southern Brazil

Despite the considerable morbidity and mortality of yellow fever virus (YFV) infections in Brazil, our understanding of disease outbreaks is hampered by limited viral genomic data. Here, through a combination of phylogenetic and epidemiological models, we reconstructed the recent transmission history of YFV within different epidemic seasons in Brazil. A suitability index based on the highly domesticated Aedes aegypti was able to capture the seasonality of reported human infections. Spatial modeling revealed spatial hotspots with both past reporting and low vaccination coverage, which coincided with many of the largest urban centers in the Southeast. Phylodynamic analysis unraveled the circulation of three distinct lineages and provided proof of the directionality of a known spatial corridor that connects the endemic North with the extra-Amazonian basin. This study illustrates that genomics linked with eco-epidemiology can provide new insights into the landscape of YFV transmission, augmenting traditional approaches to infectious disease surveillance and control

Implicações do uso do laser de baixa intensidade frente às manifestações orais em pacientes oncológicos: revisão de literatura

There are several oral manifestations resulting from cancer treatment, and in this sense the search for control and treatment strategies that are acceptable and applicable is necessary. Therefore, the objective of this article was to identify the main oral manifestations in cancer patients, as well as the implications of the use of low-power lasers in the pathogenesis of these changes. This is an integrative review of the literature, searching the National Library of Medicine (Pubmed), Scielo, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were selected. Oral manifestations resulting from antineoplastic treatment do not differ much when considering age groups, despite the pathogenesis of cancer being different between children and adults. Oral mucositis still appears as the main adverse effect in the stomatognathic complex of antineoplastic therapy. For the control and treatment of this change that can impact the quality of life of cancer patients, the low-power laser appears to be a viable alternative, given its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and tissue bioestimulation potential, without presenting adverse effects and promoting ease and acceptability in its application. The protocols must be individualized and the dentist must be trained and qualified to apply them, permanently integrating the patients' oncology care team.Diversas são as manifestações orais decorrente do tratamento oncológico, e nesse sentido a busca por estratégias de controle e tratamento das mesmas, que sejam aceitáveis e aplicáveis se faz necessária. Frente disso o objetivo desse artigo foi levantar as principais manifestações orais em pacientes oncológicos, bem como as implicações do uso do laser de baixa potência na patogenia dessas alterações. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura, com busca nas bases de dados National Library of Medicine (Pubmed), Scielo, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde e Google acadêmico. Foram selecionados, após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, 8 artigos. As manifestações orais decorrentes do tratamento antineoplásico não diferem muito quando se pensa em faixas etárias, apesar da patogenia do câncer ser diferente entre crianças e adultos. A mucosite oral ainda figura como o principal efeito adverso no complexo estomatognático da terapia antineoplásica. Para o controle e tratamento desta alteração que pode impactar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes oncológicos, o laser de baixa potência parece ser uma alternativa viável, haja vista seu potencial anti-inflamatório, analgésico e de bioestimulação tecidual, sem apresentar efeitos adversos e promover facilidade e aceitabilidade em sua aplicação. Os protocolos devem ser individualizados e o cirurgião-dentista deve ser capacitado e habilitado para sua aplicação, integrando de maneira permanente a equipe de cuidados oncológicos dos pacientes

Comparison between DNA detection in trigeminal nerve ganglia and serology to detect cattle infected with bovine herpesviruses types 1 and 5

Bovine herpesviruses (BoHVs) types 1 (BoHV-1) and 5 (BoHV-5) are alphaherpesviruses of major importance to the bovine production chain. Such viruses are capable of establishing latent infections in neuronal tissues. Infected animals tend to develop a serological response to infection; however, such response—usually investigated by antibody assays in serum—may eventually not be detected in laboratory assays. Nevertheless, serological tests such as virus neutralization (VN) and various enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are widely employed to check individual or herd status of BoHV infections. The correlation between detection of antibodies and the presence of viral nucleic acids as indicatives of infection in infected cattle has not been deeply examined. In order to investigate such correlation, 248 bovine serum samples were tested by VN to BoHV-1 and BoHV-5, as well as in a widely employed (though not type-differential) gB ELISA (IDEXX IBR gB X2 Ab Test) in search for antibodies to BoHVs. Immediately after blood withdrawal, cattle were slaughtered and trigeminal ganglia (TG) excised for DNA extraction and viral nucleic acid detection (NAD) by nested PCR. Neutralizing antibodies to BoHV-1 and/or BoHV-5 were detected in 44.8% (111/248) of sera, whereas the gB ELISA detected antibodies in 51.2% (127/248) of the samples. However, genomes of either BoHV-1, BoHV-5, or both, were detected in TGs of 85.9% (213/248) of the animals. These findings reveal that the assays designed to detect antibodies to BoHV-1 and/or BoHV-5 employed here may fail to detect a significant number of latently infected animals (in this study, 35.7%). From such data, it is clear that antibody assays are poorly correlated with detection of viral genomes in BoHV-1 and BoHV-5-infected animals

The Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2 (Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2) have repeatedly entered Brazil through a single dispersal hub

Brazil currently ranks second in absolute deaths by COVID-19, even though most of its population has completed the vaccination protocol. With the introduction of Omicron in late 2021, the number of COVID-19 cases soared once again in the country. We investigated in this work how lineages BA.1 and BA.2 entered and spread in the country by sequencing 2173 new SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected between October 2021 and April 2022 and analyzing them in addition to more than 18,000 publicly available sequences with phylodynamic methods. We registered that Omicron was present in Brazil as early as 16 November 2021 and by January 2022 was already more than 99% of samples. More importantly, we detected that Omicron has been mostly imported through the state of São Paulo, which in turn dispersed the lineages to other states and regions of Brazil. This knowledge can be used to implement more efficient non-pharmaceutical interventions against the introduction of new SARS-CoV variants focused on surveillance of airports and ground transportation

Field evaluation of commercial vaccines against Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (Ibr) Virus using different immunization protocols

Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 is ubiquitous in cattle populations and is associated with several clinical syndromes, including respiratory disease, genital disease, infertility and abortions. Control of the virus in many parts of the world is achieved primarily through vaccination with either inactivated or live modified viral vaccines. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of four commercially available BoHV-1 vaccines commonly used in Central and South America. Animals were divided into eight groups and vaccinated on days 0 and 30. Groups 1 to 4 received two doses of four different BoHV-1 commercial vaccines (named A to D). Groups 5 and 6 received vaccine D plus a vaccine for either Clostridial or Food-and-Mouth-Disease (FMD), respectively. Group 7 received one dose of two different brands of reproductive vaccines. Serum samples were collected from all animals on days 0, 30 and 60 to evaluate neutralizing and isotype-specific (IgG1 and IgG2) antibodies. Of the four commercial vaccines evaluated, only vaccine A induced neutralizing antibodies to titers ≥ 1:8 in 13/15 (86%) of the animals 60 days post-vaccination. Levels of IgG2 antibody increased in all groups, except for group 2 after the first dose of vaccine B. These results show that only vaccine A induced significant and detectable levels of BoHV-1-neutralizing antibodies. The combination of vaccine D with Clostridial or FMD vaccines did not affect neutralizing antibody responses to BoHV-1. The antibody responses of three of the four commercial vaccines analyzed here were lower than admissible by vaccine A. These results may be from vaccination failure, but means to identify the immune signatures predictive of clinical protection against BoHV-1 in cattle should also be considered

Comparative genomics suggests differences related to resistance and virulence between food-isolated Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a and 4b

Among the four lineages described for Listeria monocytogenes (I, II, III, and IV), lineages I and II harbor the serotypes most closely related to listeriosis in humans. Serotypes 1/2b and 4b are associated with the majority of listeriosis outbreaks, and serotype 1/2a is frequently involved in food and processing plant contamination. As such, the present study utilizes phylogenetic analysis for the aim of determining genomic differences between two L. monocytogenes strains isolated in southern Brazil (serotypes 1/2a and 4b) and known reference strains (L. monocytogenes EGD-e and L. monocytogenes Scott A). The Illumina Miseq platform was used to perform genomic sequencing, and cluster analysis of orthologous groups facilitated the investigation of similarities and differences between the two serotypes studied. In line with previous research, the studied strains of serotypes 1/2a and 4b presented different proteins related to resistance and virulence that may represent adaptations to several conditions during its evolution