Emergence of a novel reassortant Oropouche virus drives persistent human outbreaks in the Brazilian Amazon region from 2022 to 2024

  1. Felipe Gomes Naveca
  2. Tatiana Amaral Pires de Almeida
  3. Victor Souza
  4. Valdinete Nascimento
  5. Dejanane Silva
  6. Fernanda Nascimento
  7. Matilde Mejía
  8. Yasmin Silva de Oliveira
  9. Luisa Rocha
  10. Natana Xavier
  11. Janis Lopes
  12. Rodrigo Maito
  13. Cátia Meneses
  14. Tatyana Amorim
  15. Luciana Fé
  16. Fernanda Sindeaux Camelo
  17. Samyly Coutinho de Aguiar Silva
  18. Alexsandro Xavier de Melo
  19. Leíse Gomes Fernandes
  20. Marco Aurélio Almeida de Oliveira
  21. Ana Ruth Arcanjo
  22. Guilherme Araújo
  23. Walter André Júnior
  24. Renata Lia Coragem de Carvalho
  25. Rosiane Rodrigues
  26. Stella Albuquerque
  27. Cristiane Mattos
  28. Ciciléia Silva
  29. Aline Linhares
  30. Taynã Rodrigues
  31. Francy Mariscal
  32. Márcia Andréa Morais
  33. Mayra Marinho Presibella
  34. Nelson Fernando Quallio Marques
  35. Anne Paiva
  36. Karina Ribeiro
  37. Deusilene Vieira
  38. Jackson Alves da Silva Queiroz
  39. Ana Maísa Passos-Silva
  40. Lígia Abdalla
  41. João Hugo Santos
  42. Regina Maria Pinto de Figueiredo
  43. Ana Cecília Ribeiro Cruz
  44. Livia Neves Casseb
  45. Jannifer Oliveira Chiang
  46. Livia Vinhal Frutuoso
  47. Agata Rossi
  48. Lucas Freitas
  49. Túlio de Lima Campos
  50. Gabriel Luz Wallau
  51. Emerson Moreira
  52. Roberto Dias Lins Neto
  53. Laura W. Alexander
  54. Yining Sun
  55. Ana Maria Bispo de Filippis
  56. Tiago Gräf
  57. Ighor Arantes
  58. Ana I. Bento
  59. Edson Delatorre
  60. Gonzalo Bello
Read the full article

Listed in

This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.
Log in to save this article

Abstract

The Brazilian western Amazon region is currently experiencing its largest laboratory confirmed Oropouche virus (OROV) outbreak, with nearly 6,000 reported cases in the states of Amazonas (AM), Acre (AC), Rondônia (RO), and Roraima (RR), between August 2022 and March 2024. Here, we sequenced and analyzed 382 full-length OROV genomes from human samples collected between 2022 and 2024 from all four states, aiming to trace the origin and genetic evolution of OROV leading to the current outbreak. Genomic analyses revealed that the recent upsurge of OROV cases in the Brazilian Amazon region coincides with the emergence of a novel reassortant viral lineage containing the M segment of viruses detected in the eastern Amazon region from 2009 to 2018 and the L and S segments of viruses detected in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador from 2008 to 2021. The novel reassortant OROV lineage likely emerged in the Central region of the AM state between 2010 and 2014 and displayed a long-range silent dispersion during the second half of the 2010s. The 2022-2024 OROV epidemic was spatially segregated into three major subpopulations located in RR, AMACRO (a bordering region between AC, RO, and AM-Southern region), and AM-Central (which includes the Amazonas’ capital, Manaus) regions. The peak of OROV transmissions in all regions occurred during the rainy season in the Amazon basin. Furthermore, our phylodynamics reconstructions showed that OROV spread was driven mainly by short-range (< 2 km) movements, with an average dispersal rate ≤ 1.2 km/day, consistent with the pattern of an active flight of infected vectors. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion (22%) of long-range (> 10 km) OROV migrations were also detected, consistent with viral dispersion via human activities. Our data provides an unprecedented view of the real-time spread and evolution of a neglected emergent human pathogen. Moreover, our results emphasize the need for widespread, long-term genomic surveillance to better understand the real burden of OROV within and beyond the Amazon region.

Article activity feed

  1. Version published to 10.1101/2024.07.23.24310415v1 on medRxiv