Human pegivirus 1 in Cabo Verde: prevalence and genotypic distribution among HIV-infected individuals.

Human pegivirus 1 (HPgV-1) belongs to the genus Pegivirus, family Flaviviridae, and until now has been considered a non-pathogenic agent, despite being considered a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, a beneficial impact of HPgV-1 on HIV disease progression has been extensively reported. Given the high prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and the scarcity of epidemiological data for many countries of West Africa, we conducted the first study of HPgV-1 in HIV-infected individuals from Cabo Verde. To obtain new data regarding prevalence and genetic diversity of HPgV-1 in Africa, serum samples from 102 HIV-infected Cabo Verdeans were tested for the presence of viral RNA, and the circulating genotypes were identified by sequencing of the 5' untranslated region. HPgV-1 RNA was detected in 19.6% (20/102) of the samples. In 72.2% (13/18) of the samples, the virus was identified as genotype 2 (11/13 subtype 2a and 2/13 subtype 2b), and in 27.8% (5/18), it was identified as genotype 1. The estimated substitution rate of HPgV-1 genotype 2 was 5.76 × 10-4, and Bayesian analysis indicated the existence of inner clusters within subtypes 2a and 2b. The prevalence of HPgV-1 viremia in Cabo Verde agrees with that reported previously in Africa. Genotypes 1 and 2 cocirculate, with genotype 2 being more common, and HIV/HPgV-1 coinfection was not associated with higher CD4 T cell counts in the studied population. This finding contributes for the expansion of the pegivirus research agenda in African countries.

Study of the Etiology of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Under 5 Years at the Dr. Agostinho Neto Hospital, Praia, Santiago Island, Cabo Verde.

Background: Acute respiratory infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years in developing countries and are a challenge for the health system of these countries. In Cabo Verde, despite the lack of recent studies, data indicate that it affects thousands of children, being the fourth leading cause of infant mortality in 2013. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the etiological agents associated with acute respiratory tract infections in children under 5 years old, and their associated risk factors, such as clinical symptoms or socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: Naso-pharyngeal samples were collected from children under 5 years attending at Dr. Agostinho Neto Hospital (Praia, Santiago Island, Cabo Verde) with suspected ARI at different time-points during 2019. Samples were analyzed using FilmArray® Respiratory Panel v. 2.0 Plus to identify etiological agents of ARI. A questionnaire with socio-demographic information was also collected for each participant. Data analyses were carried out using the IBM SPSS version 25 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY) and R 3.5.1 statistical software. Results: A total of 129 naso-pharyngeal samples were included in the study. Seventeen different etiologic agents of respiratory infections were identified. HRV/EV was the most frequent agent detected, followed by FluA H3 and RSV. Coinfection with two or more pathogens was detected in up to 20% of positive samples. The results were analyzed in terms of age-group, sex, period of the year and other social and demographic factors. Conclusion: Viruses are the main causative agents of ARI in children <5 years attending at the pediatrics service at the Dr. Agostinho Neto Hospital in Praia city, Santiago Island, Cabo Verde. Some factors are described in this study as statistically associated with the presence of an infectious agent, such as having one or more children sharing the bedroom with an adult and the presence of some clinical symptoms. The data addresses the need for studies on respiratory tract infections in Cabo Verde.

Hepatitis B virus genotypes A1, A2 and E in Cape Verde: Unequal distribution through the islands and association with human flows.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) diversity has not been previously studied in Cape Verde. The archipelago was discovered in 1460 by Portuguese explorers, who brought African slaves to colonise the islands. In this study, we investigated the HBV characteristics from 183 HBsAg-positive Cape Verdean individuals. Phylogenetic analysis of the pre-S/S region and the full-length genomes revealed 54 isolates with HBV/A1 (57%), 21 with HBV/A2 (22%), 19 with HBV/E (20%), and one with HBV/D (1%). HBV genotypes and subgenotypes were unequally distributed through the islands. In São Vicente, the main northern island, most isolates (84%) belonged to the African-originated HBV/A1, with the remaining isolates belonging to HBV/A2, which is prevalent in Europe. Interestingly, the HBV/A1 isolates from São Vicente were closely related to Brazilian sequences into the Asian-American clade, which suggests the dissemination of common African ancestors through slave trade. In contrast, in Santiago and nearby southern islands, where a recent influx from different populations circulates, a higher diversity of HBV was observed: HBV/A1 (40%); HBV/E (32%); HBV/A2 (28%); and HBV/D (1%). HBV/E is a recent genotype disseminated in Africa that was absent in the era of the slave trade. African and European human flows at different times of the history may explain the HBV diversity in Cape Verde. The possible origin and specifics of each HBV genotype circulating in Cape Verde are discussed.

Origin and Population Dynamics of a Novel HIV-1 Subtype G Clade Circulating in Cape Verde and Portugal.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype G is the most prevalent and second most prevalent HIV-1 clade in Cape Verde and Portugal, respectively; but there is no information about the origin and spatiotemporal dispersal pattern of this HIV-1 clade circulating in those countries. To this end, we used Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian coalescent-based methods to analyze a collection of 578 HIV-1 subtype G pol sequences sampled throughout Portugal, Cape Verde and 11 other countries from West and Central Africa over a period of 22 years (1992 to 2013). Our analyses indicate that most subtype G sequences from Cape Verde (80%) and Portugal (95%) branched together in a distinct monophyletic cluster (here called G(CV-PT)). The G(CV-PT) clade probably emerged after a single migration of the virus out of Central Africa into Cape Verde between the late 1970s and the middle 1980s, followed by a rapid dissemination to Portugal a couple of years later. Reconstruction of the demographic history of the G(CV-PT) clade circulating in Cape Verde and Portugal indicates that this viral clade displayed an initial phase of exponential growth during the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a decline in growth rate since the early 2000s. Our data also indicate that during the exponential growth phase the G(CV-PT) clade recombined with a preexisting subtype B viral strain circulating in Portugal, originating the CRF14_BG clade that was later disseminated to Spain and Cape Verde. Historical and recent human population movements between Angola, Cape Verde and Portugal probably played a key role in the origin and dispersal of the G(CV-PT )and CRF14_BG clades.

Profile of the HIV epidemic in Cape Verde: molecular epidemiology and drug resistance mutations among HIV-1 and HIV-2 infected patients from distinct islands of the archipelago.

HIV-1 and HIV-2 have been detected in Cape Verde since 1987, but little is known regarding the genetic diversity of these viruses in this archipelago, located near the West African coast. In this study, we characterized the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 and HIV-2 and described the occurrence of drug resistance mutations (DRM) among antiretroviral therapy naïve (ARTn) patients and patients under treatment (ARTexp) from different Cape Verde islands. Blood samples, socio-demographic and clinical-laboratory data were obtained from 221 HIV-positive individuals during 2010-2011. Phylogenetic and bootscan analyses of the pol region (1300 bp) were performed for viral subtyping. HIV-1 and HIV-2 DRM were evaluated for ARTn and ARTexp patients using the Stanford HIV Database and HIV-GRADE e.V. Algorithm Homepage, respectively. Among the 221 patients (169 [76.5%] HIV-1, 43 [19.5%] HIV-2 and 9 [4.1%] HIV-1/HIV-2 co-infections), 67% were female. The median ages were 34 (IQR = 1-75) and 47 (IQR = 12-84) for HIV-1 and HIV-2, respectively. HIV-1 infections were due to subtypes G (36.6%), CRF02_AG (30.6%), F1 (9.7%), URFs (10.4%), B (5.2%), CRF05_DF (3.0%), C (2.2%), CRF06_cpx (0.7%), CRF25_cpx (0.7%) and CRF49_cpx (0.7%), whereas all HIV-2 infections belonged to group A. Transmitted DRM (TDRM) was observed in 3.4% (2/58) of ARTn HIV-1-infected patients (1.7% NRTI, 1.7% NNRTI), but not among those with HIV-2. Among ARTexp patients, DRM was observed in 47.8% (33/69) of HIV-1 (37.7% NRTI, 37.7% NNRTI, 7.4% PI, 33.3% for two classes) and 17.6% (3/17) of HIV-2-infections (17.6% NRTI, 11.8% PI, 11.8% both). This study indicates that Cape Verde has a complex and unique HIV-1 molecular epidemiological scenario dominated by HIV-1 subtypes G, CRF02_AG and F1 and HIV-2 subtype A. The occurrence of TDRM and the relatively high level of DRM among treated patients are of concern. Continuous monitoring of patients on ART, including genotyping, are public policies to be implemented.