Vector-borne diseases are an increasing global threat to humans due to climate changes, elevating the risk of infections transmitted by mosquitos, ticks, and other arthropod vectors. Ixodes ricinus, a common tick in Europe, transmits dangerous tick-borne pathogens to humans. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a vector-borne disease caused by TBE virus (TBEV). Climate change has contributed to increased tick abundance and incidence of tick-borne diseases, and between 10,000 and 15,000 human TBE cases are reported annually in Europe and Asia. TBEV shows a patchy geographical distribution pattern where each patch represents a natural focus. In nature, TBEV is maintained within the tick-rodent enzootic cycle. Co-feeding is the main route for TBEV transmission from infected to uninfected ticks and for maintenance within the natural foci. The increasing number of TBE cases in Scandinavia highlights the importance of characterizing additional TBEV sequences and of identifying novel natural foci, and in this work we sequenced and phylogenetically characterized four TBEV strains: Saringe-2009 (from a blood-fed nymph), JP-296 (from a questing adult male), JP-554 (from a questing adult male), and Mandal-2009 (from a pool of questing nymphs, n = 10). Mandal-2009 represents a TBEV genome from a natural focus in southern Norway. Saringe-2009 is from a natural endemic focus in northern Stockholm, Sweden, and JP-296 and JP-554 originate from a natural focus “Torö” in southern Stockholm. In addition, we have studied the effect of different biotic and abiotic factors on population dynamics of I. ricinus in southern Stockholm and observed significant spatiotemporal variations in tick activity patterns. Seasonal synchrony of immature stages and total tick abundance are important factors for the probability of horizontal transmission of TBEV among co-feeding ticks. We found that the probability of co-occurrence of larvae, nymphs, and female adults was highest during early summer whereas increasing vegetation height and increasing amounts of forest and open water around the study sites had a significant negative effect on co-occurrence of larvae, nymphs, and female adults. The proximal part of the 3 ́non-coding region (3 ́NCR) of TBEV contains an internal poly(A) tract, and genomic analysis of Saringe-2009 revealed variability in the poly(A) tract indicating the existence of different variants within the TBEV pool of Saringe-2009. Like other RNA viruses, TBEV exists as swarms of unique variants called quasispecies. Because Saringe-2009 came from an engorged nymph that had been feeding on blood for >60 h, we propose that Saringe-2009 represents a putative shift in the TBEV pool when the virus switches from ectothermic/tick to endothermic/mammalian environments. We investigated the role of poly(A) tract variability in replication and virulence of TBEV by generating two infectious clones of the TBEV strain Toro-2003, one with a short/wild-type (A)3C(A)6 poly(A) tract and one with a long (A)3C(A)38 poly(A) tract. The infectious clone with the long poly(A) tract showed poor replication in cell culture but was more virulent in C57BL/6 mice than the wild-type clone. RNA folding predictions of the TBEV genomes suggested that insertion of a long poly(A) tract abolishes a stem loop structure at the beginning of the 3 ́NCR. Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of the TBEV genomes after passaging in cell culture and/or mouse brain revealed molecular determinants and quasispecies structure that might contribute to the observed differences in virulence. Our findings suggest that the long poly(A) tract imparts instability to the TBEV genome resulting in higher quasispecies diversity that in turn contributes to TBEV virulence. Phylogenetic analysis of Saringe-2009, JP-296, JP-554, and Mandal-2009 predicted a strong evolutionary relationship among the four strains. They clustered with Toro-2003, the first TBEV strain from Torö, demonstrating a Scandinavian clade. Except for the proximal part of the 3 ́NCR, TBEV is highly conserved in its genomic structure. Genomic analysis revealed that Mandal-2009 contains a truncated 3 ́NCR similar to the highly virulent strain Hypr, whereas JP-296 and JP-554 have a genomic organization identical to Toro-2003, the prototypic TBEV strain from the same natural focus. NGS revealed significantly higher quasispecies diversity for JP-296 and JP-554 compared to Mandal-2009. In addition, single nucleotide polymerphism (SNP) analysis showed that 40% of the SNPs were common between quasispecies populations of JP-296 and JP-554, indicating the persistence and maintenance of TBEV quasispecies within the natural focus. Taken together, these findings indicate the importance of environmental factors for the occurrence pattern of the different life-stages of the tick vector, which are important for the persistence of TBEV in nature. Our findings also show that the selection pressure exerted by specific host also affects the population structure of the TBEV quasispecies. In addition, our results further demonstrate that the evolution of quasispecies has effect on TBEV virulence in mice. / Vektorburna sjukdomar är ett växande globalt hot mot både människor och djur. De pågående klimatförändringarna kan leda till förhöjda risker för infektioner överförda av myggor, fästingar och andra leddjursvektorer. Ixodes ricinus är en vanlig fästing i Europa som överför fästingburna patogener som är farliga för människor. Fästingburen encefalit (TBE) är en vektorburen sjukdom som orsakas av TBE-virus (TBEV). De pågående klimatförändringarna har bidragit till en ökning både av vektorn och sjukdomsfrekvensen. Mellan 10 000 och 15 000 mänskliga TBE-fall rapporteras årligen i Europa och Asien. Den geografiska fördelningen av TBEV visar ett ojämnt fördelningsmönster där viruset är koncentrerat till vissa fokusområden. TBEV återfinns i naturen i en livscykel där viruset hela tiden överförs mellan fästingar och däggdjur. Spridningen sker dels från en infekterad fästing till ett ryggradsdjur när fästingen äter på värddjuret. Spridning mellan fästingar sker troligen främst genom så kallad “co-feeding”, det vill säga att flera fästingar suger blod samtidigt från samma värddjur. Viruset kan då passera från en infekterad fästing, genom värddjuret till oinfekterade fästingar. Virus kan identifieras och studeras med genetiska metoder. Det ökande antalet TBE-fall i Skandinavien styrker vikten av att hitta och karakterisera ytterligare TBEV-stammar och identifiera nya naturliga fokusområden. Vi har sekvenserat och fylogenetiskt beskrivit fyra TBEV-stammar: Saringe-2009 (blodfylld nymf), JP-296 (födosökande vuxen hane), JP-554 (födosökande vuxen hane) och Mandal-2009 (födosökande nymfer, n = 10). Mandal-2009 är ett TBEV från ett naturligt fokusområde i södra Norge. Saringe-2009 kommer från ett naturligt fokusområde i norra Stockholms län, Sverige. JP-296 och JP-554 härstammar från Torö som är ett naturligt fokusområde i södra Stockholms län, Sverige. Förutom den genetiska sekvenseringen av TBEV har vi också studerat effekten av olika biotiska och abiotiska faktorer på populationsdynamik av I. ricinus i södra Stockholm och observerade variation i fästingsaktivitetsmönster både temporalt och spatialt. Förekomstmönster av fästinglarver, nymfer och vuxna honor, och det totala antalet fästingar är viktiga faktorer för sannolikheten för horisontell överföring av TBEV mellan fästingar. Vi fann att sannolikheten för synkron förekomst av larver, nymfer och honor var högst under försommaren. Vegetationshöjd, mängden skog och mängd öppet vatten runt undersökningsområden hade signifikanta negativa effekter på sannolikheten för att larver, nymfer och honor skulle förekomma samtidigt. Den variabla delen av den icke-kodande 3 ́regionen (3'NCR) av TBEV-genomet innehåller ofta en intern poly(A)-sekvens. Liksom andra RNA-virus, förekommer TBEV som så kallade ”quasispecies” vilka definieras som grupper av olika genetiska varianter av virus. Genom analysen av TBEV-stam Saringe-2009 avslöjades variation i poly(A)-sekvensen vilket indikerar förekomst av ”quasispecies”. Eftersom Saringe-2009 kom från en blodfylld nymf som hade sugit blod i > 60 timmar, föreslår vi att Saringe-2009 visar en förändring i ”quasispecies”-poolen när viruset överförs från exoterm fästingmiljö till endoterm däggdjursmiljö. Vi undersökte poly(A)-ekvensens variabilitet och dess roll vid replikering och för virulens hos TBEV, genom att skapa två infektiösa kloner av Torö-2003 stammen; en med en kort/vild-typ (A)3C(A)6 poly(A)-sekkvens, och en med en lång (A)3C(A)38 poly(A)-sekvens. Den infektiösa klonen med lång poly(A)-sekvens replikerade sämre än vildtypklonen i cellkultur, men (A)3C(A)38 poly(A) var mer virulent i C57BL/6-möss än (A)3C(A)6 poly(A). Datasimulering av TBEV-genomets sekundär-RNA-struktur visade att de längre poly(A)-sekvenserna påverkar veckningen av en specifik sekundärstruktur (SL14) i början av 3 ́NCR. Djupsekvenseringsanalys av TBEV-gnomen avslöjade skillnader för specifika gener och ”quasispecies”-strukturen efter passering i cellkultur och/eller mushjärna. Dessa förändringar föreslås bidra till de observerade skillnaderna i virulens. Våra resultat indikerar att den långa poly(A)-sekvensen ger instabilitet i TBEV-genomet, vilket resulterar i ökad mångfald av ”quasispecies”-populationen som i sin tur kan bidra till TBEV-virulens. Fylogenetisk analys av Saringe-2009, JP-296, JP-554 och Mandal-2009 visade på ett nära släktskap mellan de fyra skandinaviska TBEV-stammarna. De nya stammarna formerade ett kluster med en tidigare TBEV-stam identifierad på Torö (Toro-2003), vilket skapade ett skandinaviskt klad. Genetisk analys visade att Mandal-2009 innehåller en trunkerad 3 ́NCR som liknar den högvirulenta stammen HYPR. JP-296 och JP-554 hade däremot samma genetiska struktur som den längre Torö-2003 stammen från samma fokusområde. Djupsekvensering visade höge mångfald av ”quasispecies”-populationen för JP-296 och JP- 554 jämfört med Mandal-2009. Analys av enkel nukleotid polymorfism (SNP) visade att 40 % av alla SNP var gemensamma mellan ”quasispecies”-populationen för JP-296 och JP-554. Detta indikerar att TBEV-”quasispecies”-strukturen kan vara konserverad för närbesläktade virus vilken kan leda till att den bevaras inom specifika fokusområden. Sammantaget så visar dessa studier att miljöfaktorer påverkar förekomsten av fästingvektorn och dess olika livsstadier, vilket är en bakomliggande faktor för utbredning av TBEV i naturliga fokusområden. Det visar även på att värdmiljön påverkar strukturen för ”quasispecies”-populationen. Dessutom visar våra studier att evolution och utveckling av ”quasispecies”-strukturen kan påverka virulensen för TBEV i möss.

This thesis is focused on the role of host cytoskeleton, primarily microtubules and microfilaments, during tick-borne encephalitis virus infection in human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH and tick cell line IRE/CTVM19. The importance of cytoskeletal integrity and dynamics to the viral replication cycle were examined using specific chemical inhibitors showing the virus utilizes studied structures in both cell lines. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed structural changes in the actin cytoskeleton during late infection in SK-N-SH cells. Moreover, differences in expression of cytoskeleton-associated genes in both cell lines were compared. Several genes with up-regulated expression in SK-N-SH cells were identified during late infection.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T12:51:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 carolinacolombellipacca_tese.pdf: 2227429 bytes, checksum: 4bcc12b8c06f6322170e32bfccfc8fa1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-01 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Introduction. Arboviruses, arthropod-borne viruses, are frequently associated with human outbreaks and represent a serious health problem. The genus Flavivirus, which includes both the Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) and Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV), are important pathogens that result in high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. In Brazil, YFV has a sylvatic cycle and occurs annually, despite the efficiency of the vaccine. Saint Louis Encephalitis is an infectious illness that can cause acute fever caused by SLEV, which is widely distributed in the Americas. The emergence of SLEV became a serious concern after the first related outbreak in Brazil in 2006, in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto. There is no specific antiviral drug for these viruses, only supporting treatment that can alleviate the symptoms and prevent complications. The need to develop effective and safe antiviral drugs is indispensable for the treatment of these infections. Objective. The aim of this work was to identify new possible antiviral drugs against the arboviruses that can cause acute fever and encephalitis (YFV and SLEV) and to evaluate the capacity of inhibition of these compounds in ABR mice. Material and Methods. Plaque reduction assay, flow citometry, immunofluorescence and cellular viability were used to test the compounds in vitro. ABR mice were inoculated with YFV, and the biological samples were tested for the presence of the virus through the use of plaque reduction assay and qPCR. Neutralization assay was also performed. Results. Treated cells showed efficient inhibition of viral replication at concentrations that presented minimal toxicity to the cells. The assays showed that ftalyl-tiazole and fenoxytiosemicarbazone were more effective, and that they reduced viral replication by 60% and 75% for YFV and SLEV, respectively. The analysis also revealed that the ABR mice inoculated with YFV had histopathological alterations in the liver; however, the samples did not present viral title. Neutralization assay showed a high concentration of antibodies in the serum. Conclusion. The inhibitions of viral replication were confirmed through the use of some assays in vitro, and the effectiveness of the selected compounds show that they are an option in the treatment of these viruses. More detailed studies are needed to determine the mechanism of action of these molecules. The mice were found to have histopathological alterations, which indicates viral infection; however, they also presented with high concentrations of antibodies. More studies about animal models are necessary to make in vivo experiments. / Introdução: Os arbovírus, vírus transmitidos por artrópodes, são freqüentemente associadas a surtos em seres humanos e representam um problema sério de saúde pública. Os vírus pertencentes ao gênero Flavivirus, tais como vírus da Febre Amarela (YFV) e vírus da Encefalite de Saint Louis (SLEV), são importantes patógenos que podem causar alta taxa de morbidade e mortalidade no mundo. No Brasil, YFV é mantido em ciclo silvestre notificados anualmente, a despeito da segurança e eficiência da vacina. A encefalite de Saint Louis é uma doença infecciosa febril aguda causada pelo SLEV amplamente distribuída nas Américas. A emergência do SLEV passou a ser um fato preocupante no Brasil a partir da constatação do primeiro surto no país em 2006, na cidade de São Jose do Rio Preto. Não existe tratamento específico para estas viroses, somente tratamento de suporte para ajudar a aliviar os sintomas e prevenir complicações. Desta forma, há uma grande necessidade de que sejam desenvolvidos antivirais efetivos e seguros para o tratamento destas infecções. Objetivos: O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar potenciais compostos antivirais contra os arbovírus causadores de doença febril aguda e encefalites (YFV e SLEV) in vitro e avaliar a capacidade de inibição da replicação viral dos compostos in vivo em camundongos ABR. Materiais e Métodos: Para tanto, foram realizados ensaios de redução de placas, citometria de fluxo, imunofluorescencia, bem como testes de viabilidade celular para as analises in vitro. Além disto, camundongos ABR foram inoculados com YFV e seus materiais biológicos testados para a presença de partículas virais por ensaio de redução de placas e qPCR. Adicionalmente, foi realizado ensaio de neutralização do soro dos animais. Resultados: Celulas tratadas com os compostos mostraram eficiente inibição da replicação viral em concentrações que apresentam baixa citotoxicidade. Os ensaios mostraram que derivados de ftalyl-tiazole e fenoxytiosemicarbazone foram os mais eficazes na ação antiviral, apresentando redução de 60% e 75% para YFV e SLEV, respectivamente. Camundongos ABR inoculados com YFV apresentaram alterações histológicas no fígado, entretanto, não foi constatado título viral nas amostras testadas. O ensaio de neutralização mostra altas concentrações de anticorpos no soro dos animais. Conclusões: A inibição da replicação foi comprovada por vários ensaios in vitro evidenciando as moléculas como potentes alternativas para o tratamento dos vírus. Mais estudos são necessários para a determinação do mecanismo de ação destas moléculas. Os camundongos apresentaram alterações histopatológicas sendo um indicativo de infecção, entretanto, apresentam altas taxas de anticorpos. Mais estudos sobre modelo animal são necessários para a realização de ensaios in vivo.

Submitted by Cássio da Cruz Nogueira (cassionogueirakk@gmail.com) on 2017-05-15T16:43:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_EncefalomieliteEquinaIlha.PDF: 1366808 bytes, checksum: ba2d7733f0ff4fb35353b9c21dc7a614 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Edisangela Bastos (edisangela@ufpa.br) on 2017-05-19T12:26:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_EncefalomieliteEquinaIlha.PDF: 1366808 bytes, checksum: ba2d7733f0ff4fb35353b9c21dc7a614 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-19T12:26:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_EncefalomieliteEquinaIlha.PDF: 1366808 bytes, checksum: ba2d7733f0ff4fb35353b9c21dc7a614 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-29 / Nove casos de encefalomielite equina foram estudados na Ilha de Marajó, estado do Pará, Brasil. Os animais apresentavam dificuldade em se manter em estação, andar em círculo, acentuada depressão, pálpebras cerradas, paralisia da língua, tremores musculares, bruxismo, anorexia e desidratação. Alguns apresentavam diminuição dos reflexos auricular, palpebral, de ameaça, diminuição do tônus da língua e taquicardia. Posição de auto-auscultação foi observada com frequência. Os animais muitas vezes eram encontrados apoiados em troncos e cercas para se manterem em estação. À necropsia verificou-se hemorragia das leptomeninges e medula, alguns animais apresentaram ainda aderencia das leptomeninges. Na histopatologia verificou-se encefalite difusa afetando principalmente a substância cinzenta, com meningite e coroidite. Foi observada presença de manguitos perivasculares constituídos por células inflamatórias mononucleadas. Em dois animais identificou-se o Eastern equine encephalitis virus por semi nested transcrição reversa reação de polimerase em cadeia (Semi-Nested RT-PCR). / Nine cases of equine encephalomyelitis were studied in the Marajó Island, State of Pará, Brazil. The animals had difficulty in maintaining a station, walk in a circle, marked depression, eyelids closed, tongue paralysis, muscle tremors, bruxism, anorexia and dehydration. Some had their ear and eyelid reflexes diminished, decreased tongue tone and tachycardia. Position of self-hearing was observed frequently. The animals were often found leaning on tree trunks and fences to keep themselves on station. At necropsy, they showed hemorrhage of the meninges and spinal cord, and some animals also showed adhesion of the meninges. Histologically there was diffuse encephalitis affecting mainly the gray matter, with meningitis and choroiditis. It was observed the presence of perivascular cuffs consisting of mononuclear inflammatory cells. In two animals it was possible to identificate the Eastern equine encephalitis virus by semi-nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (semi-nested RT-PCR).

The proposed thesis contributes to the basic knowledge in tick (Ixodes ricinus) and tick-borne pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, tick-borne encephalitis virus) ecology in particular studying the spatial distribution, host associations and its causes and consequences in Central European habitats.

The first aim of this study was to detect antiviral activities of substances isolated from natural products against tick-borne encephalitis virus in in vitro model. Resveratrol isolated from plant material and adamantane derivatives were studied in this regard. The maximum tolerated concentrations of the investigated substances were determined for the glioblastoma cell line used in the experiments using flow cytometry and subsequently. Next, the number of viral particles produced by infected cells after incubation with the studied substances was determined using plaque titration. Possible antibacterial effects of the studied materials against standard strains of bacteria Staphyloccocus aureus, Staphyloccocus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and selected strains of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes were examined.

Submitted by Simone Souza (simonecgsouza@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-15T13:37:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Letícia Borges da Silva Heinen.pdf: 4369897 bytes, checksum: 2e00a8b07d093787dbdb2e23dd6ac34e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jordan (jordanbiblio@gmail.com) on 2017-09-19T12:59:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Letícia Borges da Silva Heinen.pdf: 4369897 bytes, checksum: 2e00a8b07d093787dbdb2e23dd6ac34e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-19T12:59:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Letícia Borges da Silva Heinen.pdf: 4369897 bytes, checksum: 2e00a8b07d093787dbdb2e23dd6ac34e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-28 / CNPq / O gênero Flavivirus, família Flaviviridae, alberga arbovírus como os vírus dengue (DENV) e da febre amarela, que possuem importância médica e são envolvidos em epidemias de doença febril em áreas urbanas e rurais em regiões tropicais e subtropicais. No Brasil, atualmente, o DENV e o vírus da encefalite de Saint Louis (SLEV) são os dois flavivírus circulantes em áreas urbanas mais frequentes. Desde a introdução e emergência dos diferentes sorotipos de DENV a partir da década de 1980, extensas epidemias de febre do dengue vêm sendo reladas por todo o país. O SLEV, anteriormente reconhecido apenas em ciclos enzoóticos e com pouca relevância médica no Brasil, tem sido implicado em casos de doença febril durante epidemia de dengue no sudeste do país. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a circulação de flavivírus em pacientes com doença febril aguda com suspeita de dengue em Mato Grosso (MT) em 2011 e 2012. Material e Métodos: 604 amostras de soro obtidas entre outubro de 2011 e julho de 2012 de pacientes com doença febril aguda suspeita de dengue com até cinco dias do início dos sintomas em MT foram submetidas à multiplex semi-nested RT-PCR para a pesquisa de flavivírus, como os quatro sorotipos de DENV, SLEV, vírus da febre amarela, do Oeste do Nilo, Rocio, Bussuquara, Iguape e Ilhéus. Amostras positivas foram testadas em pelo menos duas reações independentes de single-nested RT-PCR e submetidas a sequenciamento nucleotídico de região do gene da glicoproteína de envelope para análise filogenética. Resultados: Dentre os 604 pacientes, 315 (52,2 %) foram positivos para DENV-4, 24 (4,0 %) para DENV-1, 3 (0,5 %) para SLEV, 1 (0,2 %) para DENV-2 e 1 (0,2 %) para DENV-3. Todas as amostras eram de pacientes oriundos de áreas urbanas de 17 municípios de MT. Entre as amostras positivas, 9 eram co-infecções entre DENV-1/DENV-4, 1 entre DENV-2/DENV-4, 2 por SLEV/DENV-4 e 1 entre SLEV/DENV-1/DENV-4. Os demais flavivírus pesquisados não foram detectados. Amostras negativas para flavivírus totalizaram 273/604 (45,20 %). Discussão: A ocorrência das arboviroses na população geralmente é subestimada, devido a fatores como quadro clínico inespecífico, infecções inaparentes e ausência de diagnóstico diferencial. O DENV-4 foi introduzido no MT em 2012, responsável pela maior casuística nas cidades da Baixada Cuiabana. Co-infecções são frequentes quando há circulação hiperendêmica dos quatro sorotipos do DENV, situação já relatada no Brasil em Manaus e Rio de Janeiro em 2011. O SLEV foi detectado em pacientes de Cuiabá e Várzea Grande. Infecções por SLEV são primariamente inaparentes ou brandas. Em MT, espécies de Culex e outros vetores deste virus são amplamente dispersas. Como humanos são hospedeiros finais e apresentam baixa viremia, sua ocorrência é provavelmente subestimada. Conclusão: DENV-1 e DENV-4 foram os flavivírus identificados com maior frequência. Os quatro sorotipos do DENV foram detectados em Cuiabá e infecções esporádicas pelo SLEV foram identificadas em pacientes co-infectados com o DENV-4 ou o DENV-4/DENV-1 em Cuiabá e Várzea Grande, indicando que outros arbovírus podem circular silenciosamente durante epidemia de dengue em áreas urbanas em MT. / The genus Flavivirus, Flaviviridae family, comprises arboviruses such as the medical important dengue virus (DENV) and yellow fever virus, involved in febrile illness epidemics in urban and rural areas of tropical and subtropical regions. In Brazil, DENV and Saint Louis encephalitis (SLEV) virus are currently the two most important flaviviruses circulating in urban areas. Since the introduction and emergence of different DENV serotypes in the 1980´s, extensive dengue outbreaks have been reported throughout the country.SLEV, previously recognized only in enzootic cycles without medical relevance in Brazil, has been implicated to febrile illness etiology during dengue fever outbreaks in the Southeast region. The aim of this study was to investigate the circulation of flaviviruses in patients with acute febrile illness suspected of harboring dengue in Mato Grosso (MT) between 2011 and 2012. Material and Methods: 604 serum samples obtained between October 2011 and July 2012 from patients with acute febrile illness suspected of dengue lasting less than 5 days in MT were subjected to multiplex semi-nested RT-PCR for flaviviruses, including all four serotypes of DENV, SLEV Yellow Fever, West Nile, Rocio, Bussuquara, Iguape and Ilheus viruses. Positive samples were tested at least twice in independent single-nested RT-PCR reactions and subjected to nucleotide sequencing of the envelope glycoprotein (E) gene region for phylogenetic analysis. Results: Among 604 patients, 315 (52.2 %) were positive for DENV-4, 24 (4.0 %) for DENV-1, three (0.5 %) for SLEV, one (0.2 %) for DENV-2 and one (0.2 %) for DENV-3. All patients are residents in urban areas of 17 cities of MT. Among then, 9 were co-infections among DENV-1/DENV-4, 1 between DENV-2/DENV-4, two between SLEV/DENV-4 and one with SLEV/DENV-1/DENV-4. The other flaviviruses were not detected. Negative samples for flavivirus totaled 273/604 (45.20 %). Discussion: The occurrence of arboviruses in the population generally is underestimated, probably due to unapparent infection or unspecific clinical presentation, associated to the absence of differential diagnosis. The DENV-4 serotype was introduced in MT in 2012, responsible for the largest number of cases in Cuiabá and Varzea Grande. Co-infections are common when hiperendemic circulation of all four serotypes of DENV is observed. This situation has already been reported in Brazil in Manaus and Rio de Janeiro cities in 2011. Three patients were positive for SLEV in Cuiaba and Várzea Grande. SLEV infections are primarily mild or unapparent. In MT, species of Culex and other vectors are widely dispersed. As humans are final hosts and, therefore, present low titer viremia, the occurrence of SLEV in the population is probably underestimated. Conclusion: DENV-1 and DENV-4 were the most frequently flaviviruses identified. The four DENV serotypes were detected in Cuiaba and sporadic SLEV infections were identified in patients co-infected with DENV-4 or DENV-1/DENV-4 in Cuiaba and Várzea Grande, indicating that other arboviruses may circulate silently during dengue epidemics in urban areas of MT.

No description available.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are closely related Flaviviruses that are important arthropod-borne human pathogens. Both of these viruses can cause encephalitis with significant morbidity and mortality after infection. Flaviviruses co-circulate in many areas of the world, which raises the risk for sequential infection between heterologous viruses. Sequential infection between dengue virus serotypes can lead to cross-protection, but in some cases, it leads to a severe outcome, dengue hemorrhagic fever. Previous work in hamsters and non-human primates demonstrated that prior JEV immunity protects against a lethal WNV infection. However, the ability of prior WNV immunity to protect against a lethal JEV infection has been inconclusive. WNV-immune hamsters were fully protected from JEV viremia, but in non-human primates, prior WNV-immunity only reduced disease severity, with symptoms of encephalitis still observed. These differences in cross-protection led to further investigation on the directionality as well as the underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon. Previous work in our lab found that JEV-immune C57BL/6J (B6) mice were fully protected against a lethal WNV infection, and JEV-immune CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were required for this cross-protection. In other mouse models, memory cross-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses may induce protection or immunopathology upon secondary heterologous viral challenge. We hypothesize that JEV/WNV cross-reactive CD4+and CD8+ T cells preferentially expand upon 2o infection and contribute to cross-protection. To elucidate the potential role of T cells in sequential flavivirus infection, we identified and characterized cross-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses between JEV and WNV. A previously reported WNV NS4b CD8+ T cell epitope and its JEV variant elicited CD8+ T cell responses in both JEV- and WNV-infected mice. Despite similarities in viral burden for pathogenic JEV and WNV viruses, CD8+ T cells from pathogenic JEV-infected mice exhibited functional and phenotypic profiles similar to those seen for the attenuated JEV strain. We believe the differences in the CD8+ T cell responses during primary JEV and WNV infection are due at least in part to the low levels of peripheral replication seen in JEV-infected mice compared to WNV-infected mice. We also found that WNV-immune B6 mice were protected against a lethal JEV infection. Cross-reactive CD8+ T cells in JEV-immune mice rapidly expanded after WNV infection. Even though WNV-immune mice had higher frequencies of memory CD8+ T cells, cross-reactive CD8+ T cells did not expand after secondary JEV infection. Neutralizing antibodies to JEV were detected in WNV-immune mice; however, cross-reactive CD8+ T cells did not expand even in the absence of these cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies. We did not detect any differences in the CD8+ T cell repertoires between JEV- and WNV-infected mice nor were WNV-immune CD8+ T cells functionally exhausted. In fact, proliferation of memory CD8+ T cells did not correlate with the ability of WNV-immune CD8+ T cells to restrict recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing the cross-reactive epitope or lyse peptide-coated targets. These data suggest that the higher frequency of memory CD8+ T cells and cross-reactive antibodies in WNV-immune mice are better able to prevent neuroinvasion following 2o JEV infection.

West Nile virus (WNV) infections were first detected in Germany in 2018, but information about WNV seroprevalence in horses is limited. The study’s overall goal was to gather information that would help veterinarians, horse owners, and veterinary-, and public health- authorities understand the spread of WNV in Germany and direct protective measures. For this purpose, WNV seroprevalence was determined in counties with and without previously registered WNV infections in horses, and risk factors for seropositivity were estimated. The cohort consisted of privately owned horses from nine counties in Eastern Germany. A total of 940 serum samples was tested by competitive panflavivirus ELISA (cELISA), and reactive samples were further tested by WNV IgM capture ELISA and confirmed by virus neutralization test (VNT). Information about potential risk factors was recorded by questionnaire and analyzed by logistic regression. A total of 106 serum samples showed antibodies against flaviviruses by cELISA, of which six tested positive for WNV IgM. The VNT verified a WNV infection for 54 samples (50.9%), while 35 sera neutralized tick-borne encephalitis virus (33.0%), and eight sera neutralized Usutu virus (7.5%). Hence, seroprevalence for WNV infection was 5.8% on average and was significantly higher in counties with previously registered infections (p = 0.005). The risk factor analysis showed breed type (pony), housing in counties with previously registered infections, housing type (24 h turn-out), and presence of outdoor shelter as the main significant risk factors for seropositivity. In conclusion, we estimated the extent of WNV infection in the resident horse population in Eastern Germany and showed that seroprevalence was higher in counties with previously registered equine WNV infections.