Increased interregional virus exchange and nucleotide diversity outline the expansion of chikungunya virus in Brazil.

The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as yellow fever, zika, chikungunya, and dengue have had serious impacts on public health. Concerns have been raised due to the rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus across the country since its first detection in 2014 in Northeast Brazil. In this work, we carried out on-site training activities in genomic surveillance in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Laboratories that have led to the generation of 422 chikungunya virus genomes from 12 Brazilian states over the past two years (2021-2022), a period that has seen more than 312 thousand chikungunya fever cases reported in the country. These genomes increased the amount of available data and allowed a more comprehensive characterization of the dispersal dynamics of the chikungunya virus East-Central-South-African lineage in Brazil. Tree branching patterns revealed the emergence and expansion of two distinct subclades. Phylogeographic analysis indicated that the northeast region has been the leading hub of virus spread towards other regions. Increased frequency of C > T transitions among the new genomes suggested that host restriction factors from the immune system such as ADAR and AID/APOBEC deaminases might be driving the genetic diversity of the chikungunya virus in Brazil.

Increased interregional virus exchange and nucleotide diversity outline the expansion of the chikungunya virus ECSA lineage in Brazil.

The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as Yellow Fever, Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue have had serious impacts on public health. Concerns have been raised due to the rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) across the country since its first detection in 2014 in Northeast Brazil. Faced with this scenario, on-site training activities in genomic surveillance carried out in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Laboratories have led to the generation of 422 CHIKV genomes from 12 Brazilian states over the past two years (2021-2022), a period that has seen more than 312 thousand chikungunya fever cases reported in the country. These new genomes increased the amount of available data and allowed a more comprehensive characterization of the dispersion dynamics of the CHIKV East-Central-South-African (ECSA) lineage in Brazil. Tree branching patterns revealed the emergence and expansion of two distinct subclades. Phylogeographic analysis indicated that the northeast region has been the leading hub of virus spread towards other regions. Increased frequency of C>T transitions among the new genomes suggested that host restriction factors from the immune system such as ADAR and AID/APOBEC deaminases might be driving CHIKV ECSA lineage genetic diversity in Brazil.

Association between genetic variants in TREM1, CXCL10, IL4, CXCL8 and TLR7 genes with the occurrence of congenital Zika syndrome and severe microcephaly.

Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is a cluster of malformations induced by Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and the underline mechanisms involved in its occurrence are yet not fully understood. Along with epidemiological and environmental factors, the genetic host factors are suggested as important to the CZS occurrence and development, however, few studies have evaluated this. This study enrolled a total of 245 individuals in a case-control association study compound a cohort of high specific interest constituted by 75 mothers who had delivered CZS infants, their 76 infants, and 47 mothers that had delivered healthy infants, and their 47 infants. Sixteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms on TREM1, CXCL10, IL4, CXCL8, TLR3, TLR7, IFNR1, CXCR1, IL10, CCR2 and CCR5 genes were genotyped to investigate their association as risk factors to CZS. The results show an association between C allele at TREM1 rs2234246 and C allele at IL4 rs224325 in mothers infected with ZIKV during pregnancy, with the increased susceptibility to CZS occurrence in their infants and the SNP CXCL8 rs4073 and the G allele at CXCL10 rs4508917 with presence of CZS microcephaly in the infants. Furthermore, the T allele at CXCL8 rs4073 and TRL7 rs179008 SNPs were associated with the severity of microcephaly in children with CZS. These results suggest that these polymorphisms in genes of innate immune responses addressed here are associated to increased risk of occurrence and severity of CZS in pregnant mothers infected with ZIKV and their CZS infants.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among urban cleaning and solid waste management workers during transmission of the Omicron variant in Brazil.

This study estimated the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in urban cleaning and solid waste management workers during the transmission of the Omicron variant in one of the poorest regions of Brazil (the state of Sergipe). Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 494 workers, and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was tested by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vaccination status, mask use, and use of public transport to commute to the workplace were collected. The prevalence with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated from the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases among the total number of individuals tested. The prevalence ratio (PR) with a 95% CI was the measure of association used to evaluate the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the exposure variables. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 22.5% (95% CI, 19.0 to 26.4). Individuals under the age of 40 had a higher prevalence of infection (PR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.30) as well as those who did not believe in the protective effect of vaccines (PR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.89). Our results indicate the need for better guidance on preventive measures against coronavirus disease 2019 among urban cleaning and solid waste management workers.

The increase in SARS-CoV-2 lineages during 2020-2022 in a state in the Brazilian Northeast is associated with a number of cases.

SARS-CoV-2 has caused a high number of deaths in several countries. In Brazil, there were 37 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 700,000 deaths caused by the disease. The population size and heterogeneity of the Brazilian population should be considered in epidemiological surveillance due to the varied tropism of the virus. As such, municipalities and states must be factored in for their unique specificities, such as socioeconomic conditions and population distribution. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal dispersion of emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineages and their dynamics in each microregion from Sergipe state, northeastern Brazil, in the first 3 years of the pandemic. We analyzed 586 genomes sequenced between March 2020 and November 2022 extracted from the GISAID database. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out for each data set to reconstruct evolutionary history. Finally, the existence of a correlation between the number of lineages and infection cases by SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated. Aracaju, the largest city in northeastern Brazil, had the highest number of samples sequenced. This represented 54.6% (320) of the genomes, and consequently, the largest number of lineages identified. Studies also analyzed the relationship between mean lineage distributions and mean monthly infections, daily cases, daily deaths, and hospitalizations of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. For this, a correlation matrix was created. Results revealed that the increase in the average number of SARS-CoV-2 variants was related to the average number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. Thus, our data indicate that it is necessary to maintain epidemiological surveillance, especially in capital cities, since they have a high rate of circulation of resident and non-resident inhabitants, which contributes to the dynamics of the virus.

Does In-Person Visiting Affect the Number of COVID-19 Cases in Prisons?

Even with the current advances that have been made in regard to COVID-19, such as a better understanding of the disease and the steady growth in the number of vaccinated individuals, it remains a challenge for humanity. Dealing with the disease in prison settings has been particularly difficult. This study sought to discover whether in-person visiting affected the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the penitentiaries in the state of Sergipe (Brazil). We conducted a two-phase study (when visiting was suspended and after it recommenced) in seven penitentiaries in Sergipe using immunochromatography and nasopharyngeal swab testing to evaluate whether visiting affects the number of COVID-19 cases. In the first phase (n = 778), 57.6% of inmates reported risk factors and 32.5% were positive for COVID-19 (18.9% IgM, 24.2% IgG, 1% antigen). In the second phase, 19.6% tested positive (13.9% IgM, 7.9% IgG, 0.2% antigen). The occurrence of positive cases of COVID-19 and positive results (IgM and IgG) were significantly higher in the first phase. In the second phase, 56.7% of inmates had received visits and 18.7% were positive for COVID-19 (14% IgM, 7% IgG). Among those who had not received visits, 20.9% tested positive (13.8% IgM, 9.2% IgG, 0.5% antigen). There was no significant difference in positive cases/results between inmates that had and had not received visits. These findings suggest that, under the conditions assessed, visiting does not seem to affect the number of COVID-19 cases in prisons and reinforces the importance of sanitary measures to control dissemination.

The ongoing evolution of variants of concern and interest of SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil revealed by convergent indels in the amino (N)-terminal domain of the spike protein.

Mutations at both the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the amino (N)-terminal domain (NTD) of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Spike (S) glycoprotein can alter its antigenicity and promote immune escape. We identified that SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in Brazil with mutations of concern in the RBD independently acquired convergent deletions and insertions in the NTD of the S protein, which altered the NTD antigenic-supersite and other predicted epitopes at this region. Importantly, we detected the community transmission of different P.1 lineages bearing NTD indels ∆69-70 (which can impact several SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic protocols), ∆144 and ins214ANRN, and a new VOI N.10 derived from the B.1.1.33 lineage carrying three NTD deletions (∆141-144, ∆211, and ∆256-258). These findings support that the ongoing widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil generates new viral lineages that might be more resistant to antibody neutralization than parental variants of concern.

First Report of SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid in a Child With Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Underlying mechanisms on the association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and neurologic complications are still poorly understood. Cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have been linked to the SARS-CoV-2 infection as the result of dysregulated immune response with damage in neuronal tissues. In the current report, we present the first pediatric case of GBS with detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CFS). This unique case of COVID-19-associated GBS with detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the CSF indicates direct viral involvement inducing peripheral nerve inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of hydroalcoholic extract from Pseudobombax marginatum inner bark from caatinga potiguar.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Pseudobombax marginatum (St Hil) Rob., Malvaceae, is mentioned in ethnobotanical studies. It is used as anti-inflammatory, for ulcers and gastritis, and back pain. To evaluate anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities a hydroalcoholic extract (HE) from inner bark was prepared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the anti-inflammatory activity, carrageenan-induced paw edema and peritonitis models, and also myeloperoxidase assay were used. For the antinociceptiva activity acetic acid-induced writhing, hot plate and formalin tests were employed. RESULTS: The HE extract exhibited an intense inhibition in carrageenan-induced edema model and also in myeloperoxidase activity at the doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg. The leukocyte migration into the peritoneal cavity was also inhibited at the doses of 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg. A similar profile was observed against acid-induced abdominal contortions and in formalin second phase test at the doses of 30 and 100 mg/kg, but this treatment did not affect the behavior of animals in the hot plate test. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental data of the HE from Pseudobombax marginatum show anti-inflammatory and antinociceptiva activities, confirming the indication from traditional medicine; however further studies are required to define and isolate the active anti-inflammatory and antinociceptiva components from this active specie.