Open AccessEvolutionary Dynamics of Oropouche Virus in South America
Author(s) -
Bernardo Gutierrez,
Emma L. Wise,
Steven T. Pullan,
Christopher Logue,
Thomas A. Bowden,
Marina Escalera-Zamudio,
Gabriel Trueba,
Márcio Roberto Teixeira Nunes,
Nuno Rodrigues Faria,
Oliver G. Pybus
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.01127-19
Subject(s) - chikungunya , biology , yellow fever , outbreak , dengue virus , virology , virus , arbovirus , zika virus , dengue fever , ross river virus , alphavirus
The emergence and reemergence of pathogens such as Zika virus, chikungunya virus, and yellow fever virus have drawn attention toward other cocirculating arboviruses in South America. Oropouche virus (OROV) is a poorly studied pathogen responsible for over a dozen outbreaks since the early 1960s and represents a public health burden to countries such as Brazil, Panama, and Peru. OROV is likely underreported since its symptomatology can be easily confounded with other febrile illnesses (e.g., dengue fever and leptospirosis) and point-of-care testing for the virus is still uncommon. With limited data, there is a need to optimize the information currently available. Analysis of OROV genomes can help us understand how the virus circulates in nature and can reveal the evolutionary forces that shape the genetic diversity of the virus, which has implications for molecular diagnostics and the design of potential vaccines.