First Genomic Evidence of a Henipa-like Virus in Brazil
Leonardo H. Almeida Hernández,
Thito Y. Bezerra da Paz,
Sandro Patroca da Silva,
Fábio S. da Silva,
Bruno C. Veloso de Barros,
Bruno T. Diniz Nunes,
Lívia M. Neves Casseb,
Daniele B. Almeida Medeiros,
Pedro F. da Costa Vasconcelos,
Ana C. Ribeiro Cruz
Affiliations
Leonardo H. Almeida Hernández
Parasite Biology in the Amazon Region Graduate Program, Pará State University, Belém 66087-670, Brazil
Thito Y. Bezerra da Paz
Parasite Biology in the Amazon Region Graduate Program, Pará State University, Belém 66087-670, Brazil
Sandro Patroca da Silva
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Fábio S. da Silva
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Bruno C. Veloso de Barros
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Bruno T. Diniz Nunes
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Lívia M. Neves Casseb
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Daniele B. Almeida Medeiros
Department of Arbovirology and Hemorrhagic Fevers, Evandro Chagas Institute, Science, Technology, Inovation and Health Strategic Input Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Ananindeua 67030-000, Brazil
Pedro F. da Costa Vasconcelos
Parasite Biology in the Amazon Region Graduate Program, Pará State University, Belém 66087-670, Brazil
Ana C. Ribeiro Cruz
Parasite Biology in the Amazon Region Graduate Program, Pará State University, Belém 66087-670, Brazil
The viral genus Henipavirus includes two highly virulent zoonotic viruses of serious public health concern. Hendra henipavirus and Nipah henipavirus outbreaks are restricted to Australia and Southeast Asia, respectively. The Henipavirus genus comprises mostly bat-borne viruses, but exceptions have already been described as novel viruses with rodents and shrews as reservoir animals. In the Americas, scarce evidence supports the circulation of these viruses. In this communication, we report a novel henipa-like virus from opossums (Marmosa demerarae) from a forest fragment area in the Peixe-Boi municipality, Brazil, after which the virus was named the Peixe-Boi virus (PBV). The application of next-generation sequencing and metagenomic approach led us to discover the original evidence of a henipa-like virus genome in Brazil and South America and the original description of a henipa-like virus in marsupial species. These findings emphasize the importance of further studies to characterize PBV and clarify its ecology, impact on public health, and its relationship with didelphid marsupials and henipaviruses.