Human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Portugal, summer 2015

A case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection was reported in the Algarve region, Portugal, in the first week of September 2015. WNV is known to circulate in Portugal, with occasional reports in horses and birds (2004 to 2011) and very sporadically human cases (in 2004 and in 2010). Here we present the clinical and laboratory aspects related to the first human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease reported in Portugal

Zika virus infections imported from Brazil to Portugal, 2015

Zika virus is an emerging arbovirus transmitted by Aedes sp. mosquitoes like the Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. Zika virus was until recently considered a mild pathogenic mosquito-borne flavivirus with very few reported benign human infections. In 2007, an epidemic in Micronesia initiated the turnover in the epidemiological history of Zika virus and more recently, the potential association with congenital microcephaly cases in Brazil 2015, still under investigation, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on February 1, 2016. Here, we present the clinical and laboratory aspects related to the first four imported human cases of Zika virus in Portugal from Brazil, and alert, regarding the high level of traveling between Portugal and Brazil, and the ongoing expansion of this virus in the Americas, for the threat for Zika virus introduction in Europe and the possible introduction to Madeira Island where Aedes aegypti is present.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 and emergence of mutators during experimental evolution

Free PMC article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8996265/Background and objectives: To understand how organisms evolve, it is fundamental to study how mutations emerge and establish. Here, we estimated the rate of mutation accumulation of SARS-CoV- 2 in vitro and investigated the repeatability of its evolution when facing a new cell type but no immune or drug pressures. Methodology: We performed experimental evolution with two strains of SARS-CoV-2, one carrying the originally described spike protein (CoV-2-D) and another carrying the D614G mutation that has spread worldwide (CoV-2-G). After 15 passages in Vero cells and whole genome sequencing, we characterized the spectrum and rate of the emerging mutations and looked for evidences of selection across the genomes of both strains. Results: From the frequencies of the mutations accumulated, and excluding the genes with signals of selection, we estimate a spontaneous mutation rate of 1.3 10 6 6 0.2 10 6 per-base per-infection cycle (mean across both lineages of SARS-CoV-262SEM). We further show that mutation accumulation is larger in the CoV-2-D lineage and heterogeneous along the genome, consistent with the action of positive selection on the spike protein, which accumulated five times more mutations than the corresponding genomic average. We also observe the emergence of mutators in the CoV-2-G background, likely linked to mutations in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and/or in the error-correcting exonuclease protein. Conclusions and implications: These results provide valuable information on how spontaneous mutations emerge in SARS-CoV-2 and on how selection can shape its genome toward adaptation to new environments. Lay Summary: Each time a virus replicates inside a cell, errors (mutations) occur. Here, via laboratory propagation in cells originally isolated from the kidney epithelium of African green monkeys, we estimated the rate at which the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates—an important parameter for understanding how it can evolve within and across humans. We also confirm the potential of its Spike protein to adapt to a new environment and report the emergence of mutators—viral populations where mutations occur at a significantly faster rate.M.A. was supported by ‘Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia’ (FCT), fellowships PD/BD/138735/2018. Research was supported by FCT Project PTDC/BIA-EVL/31528/2017 to I.G. and by funds from Portuguese NIH.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diagnostic difficulties of Lactobacillus casei bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients: A case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Tularaemia: A challenging zoonosis

In recent years, several emerging zoonotic vector-borne infections with potential impact on human health have been identified in Europe, including tularaemia, caused by Francisella tularensis.This remarkable pathogen, one of the most virulent microorganisms currently known, has been detected in increasingly new settings and in a wide range of wild species, including lagomorphs, rodents, carnivores, fish and invertebrate arthropods. Also, a renewed concern has arisen with regard to F. tularensis: its potential use by bioterrorists. Based on the information published concerning the latest outbreaks, the aim of this paper is to review the main features of the agent, its biology, immunology and epidemiology. Moreover, special focus will be given to zoonotic aspects of the disease, as tularaemia outbreaks in human populations have been frequently associated with disease in animals

Diagnóstico de vírus Chikungunya, Dengue e Zika, no laboratório nacional de referência, INSA

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Distribution of some important mosquito species in Portugal within the framework of the national program for vector surveillance - REVIVE

Abstract in: 20th European Society for Vector Ecology Conference 2016: book of abstracts, p. 129. doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-837-7REVIVE (National Network for Vector Surveillance) aims to: i) Monitor the activity of hematophagous arthropods; ii) Characterize the species and its seasonal occurrence; iii) Identify important pathogens in Public Health, depending on the density of the vectors, the level of infection or the introduction of exotic species to alert for control measures.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

REVIVE - Vector surveillance network in Portugal

In this study, we present an overview of the REVIVE program and updated information on the distribution of some important mosquito species. This entomological network assumes extreme importance, since Portugal shares subtantial trade and travel with Brazil and some African countries (Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe), with several imported arboviruses viremic cases detected anually. Furthermore, Ae. albopictus circulates in Spain closer to the Portuguese border and Ae. aegypti is establish in Madeira island, where the most recent outbreak of Dengue in Europe was reported.N/

Dengue virus serotype 3 and Chikungunya virus co-infection in a traveller returning from India to Portugal, November 2016

PMC full text free: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5447568/We report a case of a laboratory-confirmed Dengue and Chikungunya viruses co-infection imported from India to Portugal in early November 2016. The patient developed fever, retro-orbital pain and generalized myalgia after returning from Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Rishikesh, Goa and Mumbai. This case highlights the importance of these arboviruses to public health in India where high rates of co-infection have been reported in the last few years, and demonstrates how challenging the laboratory diagnosis of imported co-infection cases can be in non-endemic areas.Support from Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI, FCT/UID/Multi/04046/2013) is acknowledged.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio