Dinâmica de circulação de vírus zoonóticos emergentes: investigação de arbovírus em primatas não humanos no Brasil

Abstract

The global distribution and cases associated with emerging viral zoonoses have increased in recent decades, becoming one of the main threats to public health worldwide. In Brazil, arboviruses stand out as the zoonoses with the greatest impact. Recent outbreaks of yellow fever (YF) in humans and non-human primates (NHP) outside the Amazon basin have raised an alert regarding the re-emergence and maintenance of the Yellow fever virus (YFV) outside this region. In addition, the emergence of new viruses such as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) mark the epidemiological scenario of arboviruses in Brazil. The largest YF outbreaks in Brazil occurred between 2016/2018, mainly in the Southeast region, with thousands of human and NHP cases and deaths. To investigate the circulation of YFV and other arboviruses [CHIKV, ZIKV, Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Oropouche virus (OROV)] in NHP in Minas Gerais (MG) and Espírito Santo (ES) states, samples of NHP carcasses from different areas of the two states were analyzed by OneStep RT-qPCR. YFV-RNA was detected in 144 (n = 550) liver and lung samples of NHP (genus Alouatta, Callithrix and family Cebidae), in 85 municipalities of MG between January-April/2018. No YFV-positive NHP samples were detected in 2019. In June/2020, one YFV-positive NHP sample was detected, collected in a rural environment in the municipality of Curvelo. None NHP sample tested (MG) was positive for the genome of the other arboviruses analyzed. In ES, the YFV genome was detected in 100% (n = 36) of the NHP liver samples tested. The samples were collected in seven municipalities in three regions of the state during the epidemic period for YFV in 2017, demonstrating the wide circulation of the virus in the state. These results demonstrate an extensive YFV circulation in MG and ES states, in addition to the YFV circulation in NHP in urban areas, mainly large urban centers in the Metropolitan region of MG. Although so far there is no epidemiological evidence of the urban transmission cycle in Brazil in the recent YF outbreaks, a detection of an NHP YFV-positive in urban environments, associated with the presence of competent vectors may contribute to a reurbanization of YF in the country. In addition, a YFV-positive sample was detected in 2020 belonging to the same lineage circulating in the state during the 2016/2018 outbreaks, which may demonstrate a maintenance of the YFV in MG state.