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Objectives: To investigate risk factors for persistent arthralgia in patients with chikungunya, and describe its impact on daily activities. Methods: From September 2014 to July 2016, a surveillance study enrolled patients with acute febrile illness in Salvador, Brazil, and detected those with chikungunya virus infection using IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Telephone follow-ups were performed to ascertain the progression of disease. Results: Of 153 followed cases, 65 (42.5%) reported chronic arthralgia that lasted >3 months, and 47 (30.7%) were still symptomatic at the time of the interview (approximately 1.5 years after symptom onset). Limitations in daily activities and mental distress were reported by 93.8% and 61.5% of those with chronic arthralgia, respectively. Female sex [risk ratio (RR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.95-2.69] and age (RR 1.02 for each 1-year increase, 95% CI 1.01-1.03) were independent risk factors for chronic arthralgia. Chronic arthralgia was not associated with co-infection with dengue virus (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.48-1.94) or chikungunya viral load at diagnosis (median chikungunya virus RNA of 5.60 and 5.52 log10 copies/μL for those with and without chronic arthralgia, respectively; P = 0.75). Conclusions: These findings reinforce the high frequency of chronic chikungunya arthralgia, and highlight the substantial disability associated with the persistence of pain. Development of novel strategies to mitigate the transmission of chikungunya virus and to provide long-term medical assistance for patients with chikungunya are needed urgently.

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern about individuals reported to suffer repeat COVID-19 disease episodes, these in a small number of cases characterised as de novo infections with distinct sequences, indicative of insufficient protective immunity even in the short term. METHODS: Observational case series and case-control studies reporting 33 cases of recurrent, symptomatic, qRT-PCR positive COVID-19. Recurrent disease was defined as symptomatic recurrence after symptom-free clinical recovery, with release from isolation >14 days from the beginning of symptoms confirmed by qRT-PCR. The case control study-design compared this group of patients with a control group of 62 patients randomly selected from the same COVID-19 database. RESULTS: Of 33 recurrent COVID-19 patients, 26 were female and 30 were HCW. Mean time to recurrence was 50.5 days which was associated with being a HCW (OR 36.4 (p

Zika virus (ZIKV) is considered to cause an acute self-limited infection in adults, and microcephaly in fetus. Presence of the virus for long periods has been detected in body fluids; however, persistent viremia in serum for more than 1 year has not yet been reported. We have investigated persistence of ZIKV in serum samples of 77 subjects who were infected by the virus between 18 months and 3 years before the start of this study. The subjects included children with microcephaly and their parents. Serum samples were subjected to routine RT-qPCR assay for ZIKV, Chikungunya virus, and Dengue virus. From the 77 subjects, five showed positive for the presence of ZIKV particles by RT-qPCR, including four members of the same family. Viral isolation in Vero cells and C6/36 cells confirmed the result and showed the viral particles were active. We have detected viremia in healthy carriers up to 3 years after symptom onset. Humans acting as potential viral reservoirs have major implication for the current understanding of ZIKV infection.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally. As of June 18, 2020, a high maternal mortality rate due to SARS-CoV-2 infections was identified in Brazil, representing most of the world cases at that time. An observational, cross-sectional study was performed with pregnant women admitted in two maternity hospitals located in Salvador/Bahia and their newborns, from May 24th up to July 17th of 2020. Among 329 pregnant women enrolled at hospital admission, a high prevalence (n=28; 8.5%) of pregnant women with COVID-19 was observed, as well as a high proportion of asymptomatic cases (n=19; 67.9%). Two newborns had detectable SARS-CoV-2 but evolved without abnormalities. This data highlight the importance of identifying pregnant women with COVID-19 for proper isolation measures to prevent in-hospital transmission.

Arboviruses, including the Zika virus, have recently emerged as one of the most important threats to human health. The use of metagenomics-based approaches has already proven valuable to aid surveillance of arboviral infections, and the ability to reconstruct complete viral genomes from metatranscriptomics data is key to the development of new control strategies for these diseases. Herein, we used RNA-based metatranscriptomics associated with Ion Torrent deep sequencing to allow for the high-quality reconstitution of an outbreak-related Zika virus (ZIKV) genome (10,739 nt), with extended 5′-UTR and 3′-UTR regions, using a newly-implemented bioinformatics approach. Besides allowing for the assembly of one of the largest complete ZIKV genomes to date, our strategy also yielded high-quality complete genomes of two arthropod-infecting viruses co-infecting C6/36 cell lines, namely: Alphamesonivirus 1 strain Salvador (20,194 nt) and Aedes albopictus totivirus-like (4618 nt); the latter likely represents a new viral species. Altogether, our results demonstrate that our bioinformatics approach associated with Ion Torrent sequencing allows for the high-quality reconstruction of known and unknown viral genomes, overcoming the main limitation of RNA deep sequencing for virus identification.

INTRODUCTION: We performed an epidemiological surveillance of the Chikungunya (CHIKV) lineages in Bahia after the 2014 East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotype outbreak. METHODS: Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), viral isolation, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted on serum samples from 605 patients with CHIKV-like symptoms during 2014-2018. RESULTS: Of the 605 samples, 167 were CHIKV-positive. Viral isolation was achieved for 20 samples; their phylogenetic analysis (E2 protein) revealed the presence of ECSA lineage and reinforced the phylogenetic relationship between ECSA and Indian Ocean lineages. CONCLUSIONS: The genomic surveillance of CHIKV showed that only ECSA lineage circulated in Bahia since the 2014 outbreak.

Highlights • Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 genome through metatranscriptome next-generation sequencing. • Direct metatranscritptome sequencing from nasopharyngeal swab of a COVID-19 patient. • Depletion of human rRNA and in-house bioinformatics strategy for Ion torrent sequencing., Herein, we describe the detection of a SARS-CoV-2 genome through metatranscriptome next-generation sequencing directly from the nasopharyngeal swab of a suspected case of local transmission of Covid-19, in Brazil. Depletion of human ribosomal RNA and use of an optimized in-house developed bioinformatics strategy contributed to successful detection of the virus.

Background: Serologic detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections is challenging because of antigenic similarities among flaviviruses. Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of commercial ZIKV IgM and IgG enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kits. Methods: We used sera from febrile patients with RT-PCR-confirmed ZIKV infection to determine sensitivity and sera from RT-PCR-confirmed dengue cases and blood donors, both of which were collected before ZIKV epidemics in Brazil (2009-2011 and 2013, respectively) to determine specificity. Results: The ZIKV IgM-ELISA positivity among RT-PCR ZIKV confirmed cases was 0.0% (0/14) and 12.5% (1/8) for acute- and convalescent-phase sera, respectively, while its specificity was 100.0% (58/58) and 98.3% (58/59) for acute- and convalescent-phase sera of dengue patients, and 100.0% (23/23) for blood donors. The ZIKV IgG-ELISA sensitivity was 100.0% (6/6) on convalescent-phase sera from RT-PCR confirmed ZIKV patients, while its specificity was 27.3% (15/55) on convalescent-phase sera from dengue patients and 45.0% (9/20) on blood donors' sera. The ZIKV IgG-ELISA specificity among dengue confirmed cases was much greater among patients with primary dengue (92.3%; 12/13), compared to secondary dengue (7.1%; 3/42). Conclusions: In a setting of endemic dengue transmission, the ZIKV IgM-ELISA had high specificity, but poor sensitivity. In contrast, the ZIKV IgG-ELISA showed low specificity, particularly for patients previously exposed to dengue infections. This suggests that this ZIKV IgM-ELISA is not useful in confirming a diagnosis of ZIKV infection in suspected patients, whereas the IgG-ELISA is more suitable for ZIKV diagnosis among travelers, who reside in areas free of flavivirus transmission, rather than for serosurveys in dengue-endemic areas. Fil: Kikuti, Mariana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Moreira, Patrícia S. S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Campos, Gúbio S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Paploski, Igor A. D.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Weaver, Scott C.. Ut Medical Branch At Galveston; Fil: Reis, Mitermayer G.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Kitron, Uriel D.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. University of Emory; Estados Unidos Fil: Ribeiro, Guilherme S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil

Chikungunya has had a substantial impact on public health because of the magnitude of its epidemics and its highly debilitating symptoms. We estimated the seroprevalence, proportion of symptomatic cases, and proportion of chronic form of disease after introduction of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2 cities in Brazil. We conducted the population-based study through household interviews and serologic surveys during October-December 2015. In Feira de Santana, we conducted a serologic survey of 385 persons; 57.1% were CHIKV-positive. Among them, 32.7% reported symptoms, and 68.1% contracted chronic chikungunya disease. A similar survey in Riachao do Jacuipe included 446 persons; 45.7% were CHIKV-positive, 41.2% reported symptoms, and 75.0% contracted the chronic form. Our data confirm intense CHIKV transmission during the continuing epidemic. Chronic pain developed in a high proportion of patients. We recommend training health professionals in management of chronic pain, which will improve the quality of life of chikungunya-affected persons.

We describe a case of a 20-month-old girl with probable congenital Zika virus infection and normal neurodevelopment, despite microcephaly and abnormal neuroimaging. This case raises questions about early prognostic markers and draws attention to the need for investigation in suspected Zika cases, even if the child's early neurodevelopment is normal.

Background Rapid diagnosis tests (RDTs) are easy to carry out, provide fast results, and could potentially guide medical treatment decisions. We investigated the performance of a commercially available RDT, which simultaneously detects the non-structural 1 (NS1) dengue virus (DENV) antigen, and IgM and IgG DENV antibodies, using representative serum samples from individuals in a dengue endemic area in Salvador, Brazil. Methodology/Principal findings We evaluated the accuracy of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo RDT (Abbott, Santa Clara, USA; former Alere Inc, Waltham, USA) in a random collection of sera. Samples included acute-phase sera from 246 laboratory-confirmed dengue cases and 108 non-dengue febrile patients enrolled in a surveillance study for dengue detection, 73 healthy controls living in the same surveillance community, and 73 blood donors. RDT accuracy was blindly assessed based on the combined results for the NS1 and the IgM test components. The RDT sensitivity was 46.8% (38.6% for the NS1 component and 13.8% for the IgM component). Sensitivity was greater for samples obtained from patients with secondary DENV infections (49.8%) compared to primary infections (31.1%) (P: 0.02) and was also influenced by the result in the confirmatory dengue diagnostic test, ranging from 39.7% for samples of cases confirmed by IgM-ELISA seroconversion between paired samples to 90.4% for samples of cases confirmed by a positive NS1-ELISA. The RDT specificity was 94.4% for non-dengue febrile patients, 87.7% for the community healthy controls, and 95.9% for the blood donors. Conclusions/Significance The SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo RDT showed good specificities, but low sensitivity, suggesting that it may be more useful to rule in than to rule out a dengue diagnosis in dengue endemic regions. Fil: Kikuti, Mariana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Cruz, Jaqueline S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Rodrigues, Moreno S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Tavares, Aline S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Paploski, Igor A. D.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos Fil: Silva, Monaise M. O.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Santana, Perla M.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina Fil: Silva, Greice A. O. F.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Campos, Gúbio S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Araújo, Josélio M. G.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Brasil Fil: Kitron, Uriel D.. University of Emory; Estados Unidos Fil: Reis, Mitermayer G.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. University of Yale; Estados Unidos Fil: Ribeiro, Guilherme S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil

University of California San Francisco. San Francisco, California, USA. University of Oxford. Oxford, UK. Federal University of Bahia. Salvador, BA, Brasil. University of California San Francisco. San Francisco, California, USA. University of Washington. Seattle, Washington, USA. Hospital Alian?a. Salvador, BA, Brasil. Federal University of Bahia. Salvador, BA, Brasil. Funda??o Gon?alo Moniz. Centro de Pesquisas Gon?alo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. University of Oxford. Oxford, UK. University of California San Francisco. San Francisco, California, USA. Sequencing of isolates from patients in Bahia, Brazil, where most Zika virus cases in Brazil have been reported, resulted in 11 whole and partial Zika virus genomes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a well-supported Bahia-specific Zika virus lineage, which indicates sustained Zika virus circulation in Salvador, Bahia's capital city, since mid-2014 .

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of samples from 15 patients with documented Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in Bahia, Brazil, from April 2015 to January 2016 identified coinfections with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2 of 15 ZIKV-positive cases by PCR (13.3%). While generally nonspecific, the clinical presentation corresponding to these two CHIKV/ZIKV coinfections reflected infection by the virus present at a higher titer. Aside from CHIKV and ZIKV, coinfections of other viral pathogens were not detected. The mNGS approach is promising for differential diagnosis of acute febrile illness and identification of coinfections, although targeted arbovirus screening may be sufficient in the current ZIKV outbreak setting.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has never been detected in human breast milk. This is a brief report of CHIKV infection in a breastfeeding woman of a 3-month-old baby. The mother's CHIKV-RT PCR was positive in serum, urine and milk. The baby's CHIKV serology and reverse transcription polimerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were negative. The detection of CHIKV in milk raises clinical and epidemiologic questions.

A localized Chikungunya virus (CHIKV; East/Central/South African genotype) outbreak (50 cases, 70% laboratory-confirmed; attack rate: 5.3 confirmed cases/100 people) occurred in a Salvador, Brazil neighborhood, between Apr-Jun/2017. Highly clustered cases in space and time, mostly along a single street, highlight an increased risk of CHIKV transmission among pockets of susceptible populations. This finding underscores the need for ongoing local level surveillance for arboviral outbreaks. Fil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Cardoso, Cristiane W.. Secretaria Municipal da Saúde de Salvador; Brasil Fil: Souza, Raquel L.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Nascimento, Leile Cj. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Santos, Daniela R Dos. Secretaria Municipal da Saúde de Salvador; Brasil Fil: Campos, Gubio S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Ferro Sardi, Silvia Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Reis, Olivete B Dos. Secretaria Municipal da Saúde de Salvador; Brasil Fil: Reis, Mitermayer G.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. University of Yale; Estados Unidos Fil: Kitron, Uriel D.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. University of Emory; Estados Unidos Fil: Ribeiro, Guilherme S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil

BACKGROUND:Since their emergence in the Americas, chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses co-circulate with dengue virus (DENV), hampering clinical diagnosis. We investigated clinical and epidemiological characteristics of arboviral infections during the introduction and spread of CHIKV and ZIKV through northeastern Brazil.METHODS:Surveillance for arboviral diseases among febrile patients was performed at an emergency health unit of Salvador, Brazil between Sep/2014-Jul/2016. We interviewed patients to collect data on symptoms, reviewed medical records to obtain the presumptive diagnoses, and performed molecular and serological testing to confirm DENV, CHIKV, ZIKV, or non-specific flavivirus (FLAV) diagnosis.RESULTS :948 participants, 247 (26.1%) had an acute infection, of which 224 (23.6%) were single infections (DENV: 32, or 3.4%; CHIKV: 159, 16.7%; ZIKV: 13, 1.4%; and FLAV: 20, 2.1%), and 23 (2.4%) co-infections (DENV/CHIKV: 13, 1.4%; CHIKV/FLAV: 9, 0.9%; and DEN/ZIKV: 1, 0.1%). An additional 133 (14.0%) patients had serological evidence for a recent arboviral infection. Patients with Zika presented rash (69.2%) and pruritus (69.2%) more frequently than those with dengue (37.5% and 31.2%, respectively) and chikungunya (22.9% and 14.7%, respectively) (P

Epidemiological surveillance for Human Bocavirus (HBoV) was conducted on 105 fecal specimens from children with acute gastroenteritis in Bahia, Brazil. Among of a total 105 stool samples, 44 samples were positive for HBoV as detected by nested-PCR. Of the 44 positive samples, co-infections with other enteric viruses (Norovirus, Adenovirus, and Rotavirus) were found in 12 pediatric patients. Mixed infections among HBoV with Norovirus were frequently observed in this population. The phylogenetic analysis identified the presence of HBoV-1, and HBoV 2A species. This study shows that HBoV is another viral pathogen in the etiology of acute gastroenteritis in children in Bahia, Brazil. J. Med. Virol. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Zika and dengue viruses are closely related flaviviruses, with immunological interactions and identical urban, mosquito-borne transmission.1Therefore, the recent introduction of Zika virus into the Americas and large-scale exposure of a uniformly previously unexposed population could affect subsequent transmission of dengue virus. This hypothesis had been untested, largely because sufficient epidemiological data were not available from affected locations. We explored this hypothesis in Salvador, the fourth largest city in Brazil (population 2·9 million), where extensive transmission of dengue viruses 1–42,3occurred before the introduction and spread of Zika virus in 2015. Fil: Ribeiro, Guilherme Sousa. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Kikuti, Mariana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Nascimento, Leile Camila J.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Cardoso, Cristiane W.. Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Salvador; Brasil Fil: Campos, Gúbio S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Ko, Albert I.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. University of Yale; Estados Unidos Fil: Weaver, Scott C.. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados Unidos Fil: Reis, Mitermayer G.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Kitron, Uriel D.. University of Emory; Estados Unidos. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Paploski, Igor A. D.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Silva, Monaise M. O.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Kasper, Amelia M.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Tavares, Aline S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Cruz, Jaqueline S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Moreira, Patrícia S. S.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Anjos, Rosângela O.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Araújo, Josélio M. G.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Brasil Fil: Khouri, Ricardo. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Sardi, Silvia I.. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil

German Centre for Infection Research European Union's Horizon research and innovation program (ZIKAlliance) EVAg We conducted an external quality assessment of Zika virus molecular diagnostic tests in Brazil using a new Zika virus standard. Of 15 laboratories, 73% showed limited sensitivity and specificity. Viral load estimates varied significantly. Continuous quality assurance is required for adequate estimates of Zika virus-associated disease and determination of patient care. Charite, German Ctr Infect Res, Berlin, Germany Hosp Univ Prof Edgard Santos, LAPI, Salvador, BA, Brazil Fdn Prosangue Hemoctr Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Fed Univ Para, Belem, Para, Brazil Univ Brasilia, Brasilia, DF, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Pernambuco, Brazil Univ Fed Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil Diagnost Amer DASA, Sao Paulo, Brazil Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil Fac Med Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Jose De Rio Preto, Brazil Fdn Med Trop Dr Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, BA, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France Assistance Publ Hop Marseille, Marseille, France Univ Bonn, Med Ctr, Bonn, Germany Robert Koch Inst, Berlin, Germany Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil ZIKAlliance: 734548 EVAg: 653316 Web of Science

We describe a series of 15 Haff disease cases from an outbreak in Salvador, Brazil, starting early December 2016. Eleven cases were grouped in four family clusters of two to four individuals, four were isolated cases. All but one patient consumed cooked fish; 11 within 24h before symptoms onset. Cases consumed ‘Olho de Boi’ (Seriola spp.) and ’Badejo’ (Mycteroperca spp.). A total of 67 cases were detected, the last case was reported on 5 April 2017.

Purpose To report the first case of Chikungunya encephalitis acquired in the perinatal period during the current outbreak in Brazil Methods Case report. Results A male neonate with 3500 g developed macular erythematous rash, hypoactivity and fever progressing to generalized seizures. His mother had experienced a disseminated rash and fever before delivery. EEG showed diffuse slowing and cranial NMR was suggestive of encephalitis. Rt-PCR for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was positive in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, urine and saliva. The newborn was discharged home with neurological improvement. Conclusion We report the first case of a perinatal CHIKV infection associated with a rapidly evolving encephalitis and an extensive dissemination of the virus as documented by positive rt-PCR results in CSF, blood, urine and saliva in the present outbreak in Brazil. In countries experiencing outbreaks of CHIKV infections, clinicians and neonatologists must be familiar with the possibility of the occurrence of neurologic complications and its possible consequences.

Absract We report the presence of Chikungunya (CHIKV) RNA in the blood, urine and semen during the acute phase of the disease in an adult with a dual infection with Dengue virus type 3. The patient, a 25 yr-old man from Salvador, Brazil, reported a 6-day duration of high fever, arthralgia, myalgia, headache and photophobia.Blood and semen specimens were positive for CHIKV in the first collected samples; semen and urine specimens were positive for CHIKV after 30 days of symptoms onset. DENV-3 RNA was positive in blood specimen when first collected 6 days after the initiation of symptoms.We describe for the first time the presence of CHIKV RNA in urine and semen for an extended period of time and we address the possible implications of these findings for diagnosis and transmission dynamics.

Equine infectious anemia is an important infectious disease that affects equids worldwide. Control of the disease is currently based on detection of anti-p26 EIAV by Agar Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID). In this work, 62 animals were examined by AGID and nested-PCR using primers for the gag gene. Fifty-three samples (85.5%) were positive by nested-PCR, whereas only 33 samples (53%) were positive for AGID. Fifteen amplicons obtained by nested-PCR were sequenced and the aligned results subjected to phylogenetic analysis. The analysis suggests that the Brazilian EIAV form a cluster with WSU5, EIAVUK and Wyoming strains from United States.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing coupled with capture probe enrichment was used to recover 11 whole and partial Zika virus (ZIKV) genomes from patients in Bahia, Brazil from April 2015 to January 2016, where the majority of suspected Brazilian ZIKV cases have been reported. Phylogenetic reconstructions and molecular clock analyses using the newly generated data uncovered the existence of a Bahia-specific ZIKV lineage sharing a common ancestor in mid-2014, indicating sustained circulation of this strain in Bahia since that date.

Several months after the introduction of Zika virus into northeastern Brazil, obstetricians noticed an increased number of fetuses with congenital malformations during ultrasound screening. Microce...

CAPES (Zika FastTrack), FINEP, FAPERJ and FAPESB. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil Federal University of Bahia. Laboratory of Virology, Salvador, BA, Brasil Federal University of Bahia. Laboratory of Virology, Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Federal University of Bahia. Department of Pathology. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Hospital Couto Maia. Salvador, BA, Brasil Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy. Salvador, BA, Brasil Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with severe complications both in the developing and adult nervous system. To investigate the deleterious effects of ZIKV infection, we used human neural progenitor cells (NPC), derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). We found that NPC are highly susceptible to ZIKV and the infection results in cell death. ZIKV infection led to a marked reduction in cell proliferation, ultrastructural alterations and induction of autophagy. Induction of apoptosis of Sox2(+) cells was demonstrated by activation of caspases 3/7, 8 and 9, and by ultrastructural and flow cytometry analyses. ZIKV-induced death of Sox2(+) cells was prevented by incubation with the pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK. By confocal microscopy analysis we found an increased number of cells with supernumerary centrosomes. Live imaging showed a significant increase in mitosis abnormalities, including multipolar spindle, chromosome laggards, micronuclei and death of progeny after cell division. FISH analysis for chromosomes 12 and 17 showed increased frequency of aneuploidy, such as monosomy, trisomy and polyploidy. Our study reinforces the link between ZIKV and abnormalities in the developing human brain, including microcephaly.

National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazil (CNPq); Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Ministry of Education, Brazil (CAPES)

There is little information about the congenital chikungunya virus (CHIKV) transmission. We describe two cases of well-documented congenital CHIKV infection in Salvador-Brazil, where CHIKV has been identified since 2014. The outbreak in the city led to the clinical CHIKV diagnoses of both pregnant women 2 days before delivery. Urine and blood samples from the mothers and newborns were collected and tested for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for Zika, dengue, and CHIKV. Both neonates and mothers had positive urine and serum PCR results for CHIKV. The newborns had significant perinatal complications and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The purpose of our case report is to show how severe congenital CHIKV infection can be and the importance to include CHIKV infection in the differential diagnosis of neonatal sepsis when mothers have clinical signs of the disease and live in an affected area.

Background: Yellow fever virus (YFV) is an RNA virus maintained in an enzootic, sylvatic cycle involving nonhuman primates (NHPs) and sylvatic mosquito vectors primarily of the genus Haemagogus and Sabethes. Transmission occasionally spills over to humans entering forested regions. In the Americas, urban transmission of YFV to humans has not occurred since the mid-1900s because of vaccination and near-elimination of the anthropophilic Aedes aegypti, the urban vector (1). However, concerns about reemergence of urban YFV have recently increased because of the reappearance and rapid spread of A aegypti in the urban environment. Furthermore, immunization coverage for YFV is insufficient because vaccination is generally indicated only for higher-risk populations, such as those living in or travelling to areas with sylvatic transmission. Fil: Paploski, Igor Adolfo Dexheimer. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Souza, Raquel Lima. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Cardoso, Cristiane Wanderley. Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Salvador; Brasil Fil: Mugabe, Vánio André. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Alves, Anna Beatriz Pereira Simões. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: De Jesus Gomes, Joice. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil Fil: Kikuti, Mariana. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Campos, Gubio Soares. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Sardi, Sílvia. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Weaver, Scott C.. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados Unidos Fil: Reis, Mitermayer Galvão. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil Fil: Kitron, Uriel D.. University of Emory; Estados Unidos Fil: Ribeiro, Guilherme Sousa. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil

BACKGROUND: Norovirus (NoV) is an important etiologic agent of acute gastroenteritis and infects individuals of all ages, especially children in Brazil and worldwide. NoV GII.4 was the most prevalent genotype worldwide because of your extensive genetic diversity. In Brazil, especially in the Northeast, few studies have been developed for identify and molecularly characterize NoV. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to detect and describe the molecular epidemiology of NoV associated with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: The viral RNA extracted from stool samples were subjected to Nested RT-PCR and the genotypes were determined by nucleotide sequences analysis. In total, 278 stool samples assisted at Aliança Hospital in the city of Salvador, with acute gastroenteritis were examined, between March 2009 and July 2012. RESULTS: A high NoV rate (54.2%) was identified in children under 5 years of age. We detected the circulation of different NoV GII.4 variants in Salvador, during the study period as Den Haag 2006b, New Orleans 2009 and Sydney 2012. CONCLUSION: These findings reinforce the need to study the molecular epidemiology of NoV infections in acute gastroenteritis.