Emergence of G12P[6] rotavirus strains among hospitalised children with acute gastroenteritis in Belém, Northern Brazil, following introduction of a rotavirus vaccine.

Species A rotavirus still remains a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Globally, six genotypes (G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], G9P[8] and G12P[8]) account for >90% of circulating strains; however, genotype G12 in combination with P[6] or P[9] has been detected at increasing rates. We sought to broaden our knowledge about the rotavirus strains circulating during the early post-vaccine-introduction period. Stool samples were obtained from children hospitalised for acute gastroenteritis in Belém, Northern Brazil, from May 2008 to May 2011 and examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing. A total of 122 out of the original 1076 rotavirus strains were judged to be non-typeable in the first analysis and were therefore re-examined. G2P[4] was the most prevalent genotype (58.0%), followed by G1P[8] (16.9%), and G12P[6] (7.5%). G12P[6] strains were identified at similar rates during the first (2.5%) and second (3.9%) years, and the rate jumped to 15.6% in the third year. Analysis of VP7 sequences of the G12P[6] strains showed that they belonged to lineage III. In addition, co-circulating G12P[6] strains displaying long and short RNA patterns were found to belong to the Wa-like and DS-1-like constellation, respectively. Additional unusual circulating strains G12P[9] and G3P[9] were also identified. This hospital-based study showed a high prevalence of G12P[6] strains in the third year of surveillance. Our results highlight the need for continuous longitudinal monitoring of circulating rotavirus strains after introduction of rotavirus vaccines in Brazil and elsewhere.

Re-emergence of a coxsackievirus A24 variant causing acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Brazil from 2017 to 2018.

A large outbreak (over 200,000 cases) of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) took place in Brazil during the summer of 2017/2018, seven years after a nationwide epidemic, which occurred in 2011. To identify the etiological agent, 80 conjunctival swabs from patients with a clinical presentation suggestive of AHC were analyzed at the national enterovirus laboratory. Real-time RT-PCR for human enteroviruses was performed, and enterovirus RNA was detected in 91.25% (73/80) of the specimens. Twenty-nine swab fluids were used to inoculate cell cultures (RD and Hep2C), and 72.4% (21/29) yielded a cytopathic effect. Genotype IV coxsackievirus A24v (CV-A24v) was identified as the causative agent of the outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis based on the VP1 gene revealed that Brazilian isolates were genetically related to strains that caused an outbreak in French Guiana in 2017. Our results show the re-emergence of CV-A24v causing AHC outbreaks in Brazil between the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018.

Detection of the VP6 gene of group F and G rotaviruses in broiler chicken fecal samples from the Amazon region of Brazil.

The aim of this study was to detect rotavirus F (RVF) and rotavirus G (RVG) in fecal specimens of broiler chickens in Brazil. During 2008 and 2011, a total of 85 fecal samples were collected. The viral genome was extracted, followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and nucleotide sequencing. Samples were screened for rotaviruses by PAGE, and RVF and RVG genome banding patterns were not seen. Using RT-PCR, it was found that 9.4 % (8/85) of the pools contained RVF, whereas 10.6 % (9/85) contained RVG. The predicted amino acid sequences of RVF and RVG from Brazilian samples were 94.4-95.7 % and 96.8-96.9 % identical, respectively, to those of prototypes from Germany. The detection of RVF and RVG in this study provides important epidemiological data about the simultaneous circulation of rotaviruses affecting broiler flocks in the Amazon region of Brazil.

Inhangapi Virus: Genome Sequencing of a Brazilian Ungrouped Rhabdovirus Isolated in the Amazon Region.

We report here nearly complete genome sequence of Inhangapi virus (INHV) strain BEAR177325, which was isolated from a pool of sandflies (Lutzomyia flaviscutellata) in the Utinga neighborhood, Belém (01º28´S 48°27'W), State of Pará, Brazil, in 1969. The genome of this virus showed similarity with members belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae.