Genomic characterization of a novel Hepatovirus identified in Maranhão state, Brazil.

Bats are efficient reservoirs of a number of viruses with zoonotic potential, and are involved directly in the transmission cycle of many zoonoses. In the present study, which is part of a larger project that is documenting the viromes of the bat species found in the Mid-North states of Maranhão and Piauí, we analyzed 16 pooled samples obtained from four species of bat of the genus Artibeus-Artibeus obscurus, Artibeus cinereus, Artibeus lituratus and Artibeus planirostris. We describe and identify a Hepatovirus, denominated Hepatovirus H isolate sotense, which was found in a pool of internal organs (liver and lungs) extracted from a specimen of A. planirostris, a frugivorous bat, collected in the Cerrado biome of Maranhão state. This material was analyzed using new generation sequencing, which produced a contig of 7390 nucleotides and presented a degree of identity with a number of existing Hepatovirus sequences available for bats (amino acid identity of 61.5% with Bat hepatovirus C of Miniopterus cf. manavi, 66.6% with Bat hepatovirus G of Coleura afra, 67.4% with Hepatovirus G2 of Rhinolophus landeri, and 75.3% with Hepatovirus H2 of Rhinolophus landeri). The analysis of the functional domains of this contig confirmed a pattern consistent with the characteristics of the genus Hepatovirus (Picornaviridae). In the phylogenetic tree with several other Hepatovirus species, this genome also grouped in a monophyletic clade with Hepatovirus H (HepV-H1; HepV-H2, and HepV-H3) albeit on an external branch, which suggests that it may be a distinct genotype within this species. This is the first isolate of Hepatovirus H identified in bats from South America, and represents an important discovery, given that most studies of viruses associated with bats in the state of Maranhão have focused on the family Rhabdoviridae.

Chiropterans as a potential hosts of Leishmania spp. in endemic areas for leishmaniasis in northeastern Brazil.

The species of the genus Leishmania are protozoa that are widely distributed from Asia to the Americas, affecting humans and wild and domestic animals. Little is known about infection by Leishmania in bats in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Leishmania in bats in Maranhão. Blood samples were collected from bat species for parasitological diagnosis. Samples of spleen and liver were collected for molecular analysis. All the blood cultures were negative. In two blood smears, organisms similar to amastigotes of Leishmania sp. were detected. Of the 116 samples, two spleen samples were positive and showed similarity to Leishmania infantum. Therefore, further studies are needed to elucidate whether bats take part in the epidemiological chain of leishmaniasis.

Role of HPV 16 variants among cervical carcinoma samples from Northeastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer affecting women globally. In Brazil, it is the third most frequent type of cancer in women and HPV is present in approximately 90% of cases. Evidence suggests that variants of HPV 16 can interfere biologically and etiologically during the development of cervical cancer. METHODS: Cervix tumor fragments were collected, their DNA was extracted, and nested PCR was used to detect HPV. Positive samples were sequenced to determine the viral genotype. To characterize the HPV 16 strains, positive samples PCR was used to amplify the LCR and E6 regions of the HPV 16 virus. RESULTS: Data from 120 patients with cervical cancer were analyzed. Most women were between 41 and 54 years of age, had schooling until primary school, a family income between 1 and 2 times the minimum wage and were married/in a consensual union. There was no statistically significant association between HPV or socio-demographic variables and risk factors for cervical cancer (P <  0.05). HPV was present in 88 women (73%). The most prevalent types were HPV 16 (53.4%), HPV 18 (13.8%), HPV 35 (6.9%) and HPV 45 (5.7%). Of the 47 HPV 16 positive cases, variant A (49%) was present in 23 samples, followed by variant D in 20 cases (43%), and variants B and C in 2 cases each (4%). The most prevalent histological type of HPV 16 tumors was squamous cell carcinoma, followed by adenocarcinoma. There was a statistically significant association between HPV 16 variants and the tumors' histological types (P <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of HPV 16 variants will provide data on their influence on the pathological and oncogenic aspects of cervical lesions.