Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (Mar 2021)

Evidence for current circulation of an ancient West Nile virus strain (NY99) in Brazil

  • Márcio Junio Lima Siconelli,
  • Daniel Macedo de Melo Jorge,
  • Luiza Antunes de Castro-Jorge,
  • Antônio Augusto Fonseca-Júnior,
  • Mateus Laguardia Nascimento,
  • Vitor Gonçalves Floriano,
  • Fransérgio Rocha de Souza,
  • Eudson Maia de Queiroz-Júnior,
  • Marcelo Fernandes Camargos,
  • Eliana Dea Lara Costa,
  • Adolorata Aparecida Bianco Carvalho,
  • Benedito Antonio Lopes da Fonseca

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0687-2020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 54

Abstract

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Abstract INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected, in 2018, in horses with neurological disease. AIM: We report the first case of WNV infection in a horse from Ceará state and the complete genome sequence of an isolate from Espírito Santo state. Both infections occurred in 2019. METHODS: WNV was isolated from the tissues of a horse with neurological signs in Espírito Santo and sequenced by MiSeq. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate belongs to lineage 1a, clustering with the NY99 strain, a strain that has not circulated in the USA since 2005. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reinforce the hypothesis that WNV has been silently circulating in Brazil for many years.

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