First report of Biomphalaria tenagophila (d'Orbigny, 1835) (Gastropoda/Planorbidae) in Pará State, Amazon region of Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: Mollusks belonging to Biomphalaria genus are intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni. In the Pará State, Northern Region of Brazil, there are reports of B. glabrata, B. straminea, B. schrammi, B. occidentalis, and B. kuhniana occurrence. Here, we report for the first time the presence of B. tenagophila in Belém, capital of Pará state. METHODS: A total of 79 mollusks were collected and examined to search for possible S. mansoni infection. The specific identification was made by morphological and molecular assays. RESULTS: No specimens parasitized by trematode larvae were detected. For the first time the presence of B. tenagophila in Belém, capital of Pará state, was reported. CONCLUSION: The result increases the knowledge about Biomphalaria mollusks occurrence in the Amazon Region and specifically alerts on the possible role of B. tenagophila in schistosomiasis transmission in Belém.

Regional mutations in CHIKV-ECSA genomes and detection of other viruses in the serum of acute febrile patients by a metagenomic approach in Mato Grosso, Central-Western Brazil, 2018.

Mato Grosso (MT) State is part of central western Brazil and has a tropical permissive environment that favors arbovirus outbreaks. A metagenomic approach was used to identify viral genomes in seven pools of serum from patients (n=65) with acute febrile disease. Seven chikungunya virus (CHIKV) genomes were determined, showing four amino acid changes found only in CHIKV genomes obtained in MT since 2018: nsP2:T31I, nsP3: A388V, E3:T201I and E3:H57R, in addition to other mutations in E1, nsP2 and nsP4. Six parvovirus B19 (B19V) genotype I genomes (4771-5131 nt) showed four aa alterations (NS1:N473D, R579Q; VP1:I716T; and 11 kDa:V44A) compared to most similar B19V from the USA. Coinfection between CHIKV and B19V was evidenced in 22/65 (33.8%) patients by RT‒PCR and PCR, respectively. Other viruses found in these pools include human pegivirus C, torque teno virus 3, an unclassified TTV and torque teno mini virus. Metagenomics represents a useful approach to detect viruses in the serum of acute febrile patients suspected of arbovirus disease.

A Novel Hepacivirus in Wild Rodents from South America.

The Hepacivirus genus comprises single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses within the family Flaviviridae. Several hepaciviruses have been identified in different mammals, including multiple rodent species in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. To date, no rodent hepacivirus has been identified in the South American continent. Here, we describe an unknown hepacivirus discovered during a metagenomic screen in Akodon montensis, Calomys tener, Oligoryzomys nigripes, Necromys lasiurus, and Mus musculus from São Paulo State, Brazil. Molecular detection of this novel hepacivirus by RT-PCR showed a frequency of 11.11% (2/18) in Oligoryzomys nigripes. This is the first identification of hepavivirus in sigmondonine rodents and in rodents from South America. In sum, our results expand the host range, viral diversity, and geographical distribution of the Hepacivirus genus.

Characterization of the Gamboa Virus Serogroup (Orthobunyavirus Genus, Peribunyaviridae Family).

Comprehensive comparative phylogenetic analyses were performed on 17 Gamboa serogroup viruses (GAMSVs) from distinct geographic regions in the Americas and other representative members of the genus Orthobunyavirus (Peribunyaviridae), based on small (S), medium (M), and large (L) open reading frame full-length and partial sequences. Genome characterization showed that the GAMSVs divide into four clades or genotypes. The GAMSVs have a genetic organization similar to other orthobunyaviruses, except that they have a larger NSm protein than other orthobunyaviruses. A serosurvey for Gamboa virus antibodies was performed in plasma from birds, other wild animals, and humans living around the Tucuruí hydroelectric dam in Pará state, northern Brazil, a known focus of GAMSV activity. Newborn chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) were experimentally infected with a GAMSV, and the pathogenesis is described. Histopathological changes were primarily in the lungs and liver. Also, a review of the ecology of the GAMSVs in the Americas is included. In sum, this study presents the genomic and evolutionary characterization of the Gamboa group and the potential model of pathogenesis, which would be helpful for diagnostic purposes, epidemiology, and immunopathogenesis studies.

Genetic diversity of Hepatozoon spp. in Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and Pecari tajacu from eastern Amazon.

This study aimed to identify and characterize genetically species of the genus Hepatozoon detected in Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (capybaras) and Pecari tajacu (collared peccaries) from two localities from the Eastern Amazon. Blood samples from 196 free-living H. hydrochaeris from Marajó Island and 109 P. tajacu kept in captivity in Belém, Pará, were collected and analyzed for the presence of Hepatozoon spp. Partial sequences of the 18S rRNA gene were obtained and analyzed in comparison to others available in the NCBI database. Our results demonstrated a high prevalence of Hepatozoon canis in both mammals and the existence of four haplotypes of Hepatozoon spp., three of Hepatozoon canis and one of Hepatozoon cuestensis, found only in H. hydrochaeris. In addition, these data increase the genetic diversity of H. canis from the Eastern Amazon, as well as reporting, for the first time, the infection of mammals by H. cuestensis and P. tajacu by H. canis.

First isolation of Bunyamwera virus (Bunyaviridae family) from horses with neurological disease and an abortion in Argentina.

Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) is the prototype virus for both the Orthobunyavirus genus and the Bunyaviridae family. Different strains of BUNV have been associated with clinical diseases in domestic animals, mainly ruminants. During 2013, in Argentina's Santa Fe Province, three new isolates of BUNV were recovered from the brain and spleen of two horses with encephalitis, and from the brain of an aborted equine fetus. This isolation of BUNV from domestic animals provided the first association of BUNV infection with disease of the central nervous system and abortion in equines in Argentina.