Investigation of neurotropic arboviroses in wild and domestic animals in amazon region, 2023-2024.

Abstract

Arboviruses represent a potential threat to global public health due to their ability to infect various vertebrate hosts and vectors, as well as their adaptability to diverse ecosystems, allowing them to expand geographically across continents. The present study aimed to describe the molecular epidemiology of encephalitic arboviruses, including Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus (VEEV), Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV), Western Equine Encephalitis virus (WEEV), West Nile Virus (WNV), Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV), Toscana Virus (TOSV), and Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) in nervous tissue samples from domestic and wild animals from the Northern region of Brazil, between February 2023 and June 2024.Two samples tested positive for arboviruses by RT-qPCR: one SLEV sample from the state of Amazonas, which showed a low viral load, preventing virus isolation and sequencing, and one Madariaga virus (MADV) sample from the state of Pará, which could be isolated and sequenced. The isolated agent belongs to lineage III of EEEV, showing most similarity to strains from Guyana and Argentina. The present study detected two arboviruses in animals, suggesting its circulation in the study area.