Dengue Virus Serotype 4, Roraima State, Brazil

Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Laboratório Central de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Roraima. Boa Vista, RO, Brazil.Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia. Manaus, AM, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil

Diversity of group A rotavirus genes detected in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Minas Gerais, Brazil

AbstractGroup A rotaviruses are the main causative agent of infantile gastroenteritis. The segmented nature of the viral genome allows reassortment of genome segments, which can generate genetic variants. In this study, we characterized the diversity of the VP7, VP4 (VP8*), VP6, NSP4, and NSP5 genes of the rotaviruses that circulated from 2005 to 2011 in the Triângulo Mineiro (TM) region of Brazil. Samples with genotypes G2 (sublineages IVa-1 and IVa-3), G1 (sublineage I-A), G9 (lineage III), G12 (lineages II and III), G8 (lineage II), G3 (lineage III), P[4] (sublineages IVa and IVb), P[8] (sublineages P[8]-3.6, P[8]-3.3, and P[8]-3.1), I2 (lineage VII), E2 (lineages VI, XII, and X), and H2 (lineage III) were identified. The associations found in the samples were G1, G9, or G12 with P[8]-I1-E1-H1; G2 or G8 with P[4]-I2-E2-H2; G12 with I3-E3-H6; and G3 with P[4]-I2-E3-H3 (previously unreported combination). Reassortment events in G2P[4] strains and an apparent pattern of temporal segregation within the lineages were observed. Five TM samples contained genes that exhibited high nucleotide and amino acid identities with strains of animal origin. The present study includes a period of pre- and post-introduction of rotavirus vaccination in all Brazilian territories, thereby serving as a basis for monitoring changes in the genetic constitution of rotaviruses. The results also contribute to the understanding of the diversity and evolution of rotaviruses in a global context

Dengue Virus Type 4, Manaus, Brazil

We report dengue virus type 4 (DENV-4) in Amazonas, Brazil. This virus was isolated from serum samples of 3 patients treated at a tropical medicine reference center in Manaus. All 3 cases were confirmed by serologic and molecular tests; 1 patient was co-infected with DENV-3 and DENV-4

Analysis of the immunological biomarker profile during acute Zika virus infection reveals the overexpression of CXCL10, a chemokine linked to neuronal damage.

BACKGROUND: Infection with Zika virus (ZIKV) manifests in a broad spectrum of disease ranging from mild illness to severe neurological complications and little is known about Zika immunopathogenesis. OBJECTIVES: To define the immunologic biomarkers that correlate with acute ZIKV infection. METHODS: We characterized the levels of circulating cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in 54 infected patients of both genders at five different time points after symptom onset using microbeads multiplex immunoassay; comparison to 100 age-matched controls was performed for statistical analysis and data mining. FINDINGS: ZIKV-infected patients present a striking systemic inflammatory response with high levels of pro-inflammatory mediators. Despite the strong inflammatory pattern, IL-1Ra and IL-4 are also induced during the acute infection. Interestingly, the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-α, and IFN-γ; chemokines CXCL8, CCL2, CCL5; and the growth factor G-CSF, displayed a bimodal distribution accompanying viremia. While this is the first manuscript to document bimodal distributions of viremia in ZIKV infection, this has been documented in other viral infections, with a primary viremia peak during mild systemic disease and a secondary peak associated with distribution of the virus to organs and tissues. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Biomarker network analysis demonstrated distinct dynamics in concurrence with the bimodal viremia profiles at different time points during ZIKV infection. Such a robust cytokine and chemokine response has been associated with blood-brain barrier permeability and neuroinvasiveness in other flaviviral infections. High-dimensional data analysis further identified CXCL10, a chemokine involved in foetal neuron apoptosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, as the most promising biomarker of acute ZIKV infection for potential clinical application

Co-infecção pelo vírus dengue 3 e 4 em pacientes da Amazônia brasileira

The natural co-infection with dengue virus can occur in highly endemic areas where different serotypes have been observed for many years. We report here four cases of DENV-3/DENV-4 co-infection detected by serological and molecular tests among 674 patients with acute undifferentiated fever from the tropical medicine reference center of Manaus City, Brazil, between 2005 and 2010. Analysis of the sequences obtained indicated the presence of genotype 3 and 1 for DENV-3 and DENV-4 respectively.A co-infecção natural com os vírus dengue pode ocorre em áreas altamente endêmicas onde diferentes sorotipos têm sido transmitidos por muitos anos. Relatamos aqui quatro casos de co-infecção com DENV-3/DENV-4 detectados por testes sorológicos e moleculares entre 674 pacientes com febre indiferenciada aguda, atendidos em um centro de medicina tropical de referência da cidade de Manaus, Brasil, entre 2005 e 2010. As análises das sequências obtidas indicaram a presença dos genotipos 3 e 1 para DENV-3 e DENV-4 respectivamente

Phylogenetic analysis and genotype distribution of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in Roraima, Brazil

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global health problem. HBV has a high viral genetic diversity, with 10 genotypes recognized. In Brazil, the Roraima State is the third in the Northern region regarding the number of hepatitis B cases. On the other hand, few data on HBV genotyping and phylogenetic analysis are available. The purpose of this study is to characterize the HBV genotypes circulating in Roraima State. Of the 113 chronic hepatitis B patients enrolled in this study, 40 were HBV-DNA positive. A fragment of 280 bp (S gene) was amplified by PCR and submitted to nucleotide sequencing. A dataset containing the viral sequences obtained in this study, plus 130 obtained from GenBank was used for genotyping by phylogenetic analysis. The HBV subgenotype distribution found was A1 (62.5%), A2 (7.5%), D2, D3, D4 (2.5%), F2a (12.5%), and F3 (10%). We characterized the genotypes and subgenotypes of HBV circulating among patients in the State of Roraima. In addition, our study shows for the first time the HBV/F3 genotype circulating in Brazil. In conclusion, our findings showed a high diversity of HBV genotypes in Roraima, which is also found in other Brazilian geographical regions

16S rRNA gene-based identification of microbiota associated with the parthenogenetic troglobiont sand fly Deanemyia maruaga (Diptera, Psychodidae) from central Amazon, Brazil

Bacteria associated with the parthenogenetic troglobiont sand fly Deanemyia maruaga were characterized by sequencing cloned 16S rDNA PCR products. Eleven novel partial 16S rDNA sequences, with varying degrees of similarity to Actinobacteria, were identified. None of the sequences identified had homology to those known from parthenogenesis-inducing bacteria. © 2013, Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia

Identification of primary drug resistance to rifampin in mycobacterium leprae strains from leprosy patients in Amazonas State, Brazil

The aim of this study was to identify polymorphisms in the folp1, gyrA, and rpoB genes in leprosy patients treated in Amazonas State, Brazil. Among 197 slit-skin smear samples from untreated or relapsed patients, we found three cases of primary resistance to rifampin and one confirmed case of multidrug resistance. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved