Detection of Saint Louis encephalitis virus in dengue-suspected cases during a dengue 3 outbreak

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2011 Mar;11(3):291-300. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2009.0200. Epub 2010 Jul 20.

Abstract

Arboviruses are frequently associated with outbreaks in humans and represent a serious public health problem. Among the Brazilian arboviruses, Mayaro virus, Dengue virus (DENV), Yellow Fever virus, Rocio virus, Saint Louis Encephalitis virus (SLEV), and Oropouche virus are responsible for most of human cases. All these arboviruses usually produce undistinguishable acute febrile illness, especially in the acute phase of infection. In this study we investigated the presence of arboviruses in sera of 519 patients presenting acute febrile illness, during a dengue outbreak in São José do Rio Preto City (São Paulo, Brazil). A multiplex-nested RT-polymerase chain reaction assay was applied to detect and identify the main Brazilian arboviruses (Flavivirus, Alphavirus, and Orthobunyavirus genera). The molecular analysis showed that 365 samples were positive to DENV-3, 5 to DENV-2, and 8 to SLEV. Among the positive samples, one coinfection was detected between DENV-2 and DENV-3. The phylogenetic analysis of the SLEV envelope gene indicated that the virus circulating in city is related to lineage V strains. These results indicated that during that large DENV-3 outbreak in 2006, different arboviruses cocirculated causing human disease. Thus, it is necessary to have an efficient surveillance system to control the dissemination of these arboviruses in the population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / virology
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Arboviruses / genetics*
  • Arboviruses / isolation & purification
  • Base Sequence
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Cell Line
  • Coinfection
  • Dengue / epidemiology*
  • Dengue / virology
  • Dengue Virus / genetics*
  • Dengue Virus / isolation & purification
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis / genetics*
  • Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis / isolation & purification
  • Encephalitis, St. Louis / epidemiology*
  • Encephalitis, St. Louis / virology
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Phylogeny
  • Public Health
  • RNA, Viral / blood*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • RNA, Viral
  • Viral Envelope Proteins

Associated data

  • GENBANK/GQ281267