Flávia Löwen Levy Chalhoub, Maria Isabel Maldonado Coelho Guedes, Nieli Rodrigues da Costa Faria, Lauro César Soares Feitosa, Danielle Freitas Henriques, Karina Ribeiro Leite Jardim Cavalcante, Marta Giovanetti, Osmaikon Lisboa Lobato, José Lourenço, Daniele Barbosa de Almeida Medeiros, Tulio de Oliveira, Alessandro Pecego Martins Romano, Marcelo Adriano da Cunha e Silva Vieira, Rivaldo Venâncio da Cunha, Renata Farinelli de Siqueira, Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara, Vagner Fonseca, Raffaella Bertoni Cavalcanti Teixeira, Flávia Figueira Aburjaile, Noely Fabiana Oliveira de Moura, Aila Solimar Gonçalves Silva, Ana Maria Bispo de Filippis, Carlos F. Campelo de Albuquerque, José Joffre Martins Bayeux, Érica Azevedo Costa, Lilian S. Catenacci, Beatriz Senra Álvares da Silva Santos, Renata de Pino Albuquerque Maranhão, Silvokleio da Costa Silva, Joilson Xavier, and Felipe Campos de Melo Iani
CNPq (440685/2016-8, 421598/2018-2), by CAPES (88887.130716/ 2016-00), by the Pan American Health Organization (IOC-007-FEX-19-2-2-30), by the Fundac?o Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ, grant number E-26/2002.930/2016 by the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under ZIKAlliance Grant Agreement no. 734548, by the Horizon 2020 through ZikaPlan and ZikAction (grant agreement numbers 734584 and 734857) and by the National Institutes of Health USA grant U01 AI151698 for the United World Antiviral Research Network (UWARN). Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Medicina Veterin?ria Preventiva. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laborat?rio de Flaviv?rus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Piau?. Departamento De Morfofisiologia Veterin?ria. Teresina, PI, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil / University of KwaZulu-Natal. College of Health Sciences. School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences. KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform. Durban, South Africa / Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Coordena??o Geral dos Laborat?rios de Sa?de P?blica. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laborat?rio de Flaviv?rus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Funda??o Ezequiel Dias. Laborat?rio Central de Sa?de P?blica. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Funda??o Municipal de Sa?de. Diretoria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Teresina, PI, Brazil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Medicina Veterin?ria Preventiva. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Medicina Veterin?ria Preventiva. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Medicina Veterin?ria Preventiva. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - Campus Pampulha. Escola de Veterin?ria. Hospital Veterin?rio. Setor de Cl?nica de Equinos. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laborat?rio de Flaviv?rus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Department of Large Animal Clinic. Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil. University of KwaZulu-Natal. College of Health Sciences. School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences. KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform. Durban, South Africa. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Coordena??o Geral das Arboviroses. Bras?lia, DF, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Coordena??o Geral das Arboviroses. Bras?lia, DF, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Coordena??o Geral das Arboviroses. Bras?lia, DF, Brasil. Organiza??o Pan-Americana da Sa?de, Organiza??o Mundial da Sa?de. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Piau?. Centro de Ci?ncias Agr?rias. Departamento de Cl?nica e Cirurgia Veterin?ria. Teresina, PI, Brazil. Universidade Vale do Para?ba. Faculdade de Ci?ncias da Sa?de. Medicina Veterin?ria. S?o Jos? Dos Campos, SP, Brazil. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Cl?nica e Cirurgia Veterin?rias. Escola de Veterin?ria. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Piau? - Campus Prof. Cinobelina Elvas. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica e Conserva??o de Germoplasma. Bom Jesus, Piau?, PI, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Piau? - Campus Prof. Cinobelina Elvas. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica e Conserva??o de Germoplasma. Bom Jesus, Piau?, PI, Brazil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laborat?rio de Flaviv?rus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Coordena??o dos Laboratorios de Referencia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. University of Oxford. Department of Zoology. Oxford, OX, UK. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laborat?rio de Flaviv?rus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Laborat?rio de Gen?tica Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Background: West Nile virus (WNV) was first sequenced in Brazil in 2019, when it was isolated from a horse in the Esp?rito Santo state. Despite multiple studies reporting serological evidence suggestive of past circulation since 2004, WNV remains a low priority for surveillance and public health, such that much is still unknown about its genomic diversity, evolution, and transmission in the country. Methods: A combination of diagnostic assays, nanopore sequencing, phylogenetic inference, and epidemiological modeling are here used to provide a holistic overview of what is known about WNV in Brazil. Results: We report new genetic evidence of WNV circulation in southern (Minas Gerais, S?o Paulo) and northeastern (Piau?) states isolated from equine red blood cells. A novel, climate-informed theoretical perspective of the potential transmission of WNV across the country highlights the state of Piau? as particularly relevant for WNV epidemiology in Brazil, although it does not reject possible circulation in other states. Conclusion: Our output demonstrates the scarceness of existing data, and that although there is sufficient evidence for the circulation and persistence of the virus, much is still unknown on its local evolution, epidemiology, and activity. We advocate for a shift to active surveillance, to ensure adequate preparedness for future epidemics with spill-over potential to humans.