Seroepidemiology of selected alphaviruses and flaviviruses in bats in Trinidad.

A serosurvey of antibodies against selected flaviviruses and alphaviruses in 384 bats (representing 10 genera and 14 species) was conducted in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Sera were analysed using epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) specific for antibodies against West Nile virus (WNV), Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), all of which are zoonotic viruses of public health significance in the region. Overall, the ELISAs resulted in the detection of VEEV-specific antibodies in 11 (2.9%) of 384 bats. Antibodies to WNV and EEEV were not detected in any sera. Of the 384 sera, 308 were also screened using hemagglutination inhibition assay (HIA) for antibodies to the aforementioned viruses as well as St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV; which also causes epidemic disease in humans), Rio Bravo virus (RBV), Tamana bat virus (TABV) and western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV). Using this approach, antibodies to TABV and RBV were detected in 47 (15.3%) and 3 (1.0%) bats, respectively. HIA results also suggest the presence of antibodies to an undetermined flavivirus(es) in 8 (2.6%) bats. Seropositivity for TABV was significantly (P<0.05; χ2) associated with bat species, location and feeding preference, and for VEEV with roost type and location. Differences in prevalence rates between urban and rural locations were statistically significant (P<0.05; χ2) for TABV only. None of the aforementioned factors was significantly associated with RBV seropositivity rates.

Characterization of two new rhabdoviruses isolated from midges (Culicoides SPP) in the Brazilian Amazon: proposed members of a new genus, Bracorhabdovirus.

Itacaiunas and Curionopolis viruses were isolated from Culicoides midges in Parauapebas municipality, Pará state, Brazil, in 1984 and 1985, respectively. Itacaiunas virus infected newborn mice and mosquito cells (C6/36), but did not replicate in some mammalian cell lineages; while Curionopolis virus infected only mice. Neither virus showed a serological relationship with any of the 195 known arboviruses circulating in Brazil, nor against 38 other rhabdoviruses isolated worldwide. Both virus particles are bullet-shaped and similar in morphology to that observed for other members of the family Rhabdoviridae. Partial nucleotide sequencing of the N protein showed that those two viruses constitute a separate clade in the family Rhabdoviridae, which we propose to be a new genus, designated Bracorhabdovirus.

Isolation of yellow fever virus from nulliparous Haemagogus (Haemagogus) janthinomys in eastern Amazonia.

In 1998, an epizootic of yellow fever (YF) killed many howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) in eastern Amazonia near the city of Altamira. An infection level with YF virus of approximately 3.6% was determined from analysis of 456 females of Haemagogus janthinomys Dyar, the main enzootic YF vector in South America. One month later, a second study of 164 females captured in the same place led to infection levels of 0.8% for parous and 2.9% for nulliparous females. These results lead to the conclusion that vertical transmission, one of the key elements in the epidemiology of YF, occurs in South America as it does in Africa.

Infecçäo humana por Hantavirus no sul e sudeste do Brasil / Human infection by Hantavirus in southern and southeastern Brazil

Descrevem-se os resultados de inquérito sorológico para pesquisa de anticorpos de Hantavírus conduzido de fevereiro de 1986 a agosto de 1990, em grupos populacionais humanos dos Estados de Säo Paulo e Paraná, que apresentavam estreito contato com ratos urbanos ou com roedores e outros pequenos mamíferos silvestres. OBJETIVO. Identificar infecçäo humana causada por Hantavírus, agentes etiológicos da febre hemorrágica com síndrome renal. MÉTODOS. Os soros de 1.063 pessoas foram examinados com técnica imunoenzimática para detecçäo de anticorpos IgG e IgM utilizando-se antígenos dos vírus Hantaan, Seoul e Puumala. Nos soros positivos realizou-se teste de neutralizaçäo com reduçäo em placa para os mesmos antígenos e imunofluorescência indireta para o antígeno do vírus Hantaan. RESULTADOS. Observou-se presença de anticorpos anti-Hantavirus em 32 pessoas, evidenciados por testes imunoenzimáticos e de imunofluorescência. Em cinco delas foram positivos os testes de neutralizaçäo com reduçäo em placa (três para o vírus Scoul e dois para o vírus Pumala). Uma dessas pessoas apresentou alto título em todos os testes para o vírus Seoul. Trata-se de um morador da zona rural da regiäo do vale do Ribeira, que nasceu, sempre viveu no local e nunca viajou para fora do Estado de Säo Paulo. CONCLUSOES. Há evidências sorológicas de infecçäo causada por Hantavírus em moradores de área rural da Ilha do Amparo, Baia de Paranaguá, e da regiäo do Vale do Ribeira, Estado de Säo Paulo, em portuários de Paranaguá, Estado do Paraná, e em doentes internados com suspeita de leptospirose no Hospital Emílio Ribas, Säo Paulo