Abstract
BackgroundFrom the end of 2016 until the beginning of 2019, Brazil faced a massive sylvatic yellow fever (YF) outbreak. The 2016–2019 YF epidemics affected densely populated areas, especially the Southeast region, causing thousands of deaths of humans and non-human primates (NHP).Methodology/Principal findingsWe conducted a molecular investigation of yellow fever virus (YFV) RNA in 781 NHP carcasses collected in the urban, urban-rural interface, and rural areas of Minas Gerais state, from January 2017 to December 2018. Samples were analyzed according to the period of sampling, NHP genera, sampling areas, and sampling areas/NHP genera to compare the proportions of YFV-positive carcasses and the estimated YFV genomic loads. YFV infection was confirmed in 38.1% of NHP carcasses (including specimens of the genera Alouatta, Callicebus, Callithrix, and Sapajus), from the urban, urban-rural interface, and rural areas. YFV RNA detection was positively associated with epidemic periods (especially from December to March) and the rural environment. Higher median viral genomic loads (one million times) were estimated in carcasses collected in rural areas compared to urban ones.Conclusions/SignificanceThe results showed the wide occurrence of YF in Minas Gerais in epidemic and non-epidemic periods. According to the sylvatic pattern of YF, a gradient of viral dissemination from rural towards urban areas was observed. A high YF positivity was observed for NHP carcasses collected in urban areas with a widespread occurrence in 67 municipalities of Minas Gerais, including large urban centers. Although there was no documented case of urban/Aedes YFV transmission to humans in Brazil during the 2016–2019 outbreaks, YFV-infected NHP in urban areas with high infestation by Aedes aegypti poses risks for YFV urban/Aedes transmission and urbanization.
Highlights
Yellow fever virus (YFV) is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Central and South America
We investigated the yellow fever virus (YFV) RNA in non-human primates (NHP) carcasses collected throughout Minas Gerais in 2017 and 2018
We demonstrated the wide occurrence of YFV-infected NHP, including the viral persistence during the non-epidemic dry season of 2017
Summary
Yellow fever virus (YFV) (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus) is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Central and South America. Yellow fever (YF) presents a broad spectrum of severity, with clinical manifestations ranging from self-limited febrile to fatal disease in humans [1,2]. The virus is maintained in the sylvatic cycle involving Neotropical non-human primates (NHP) and sylvatic mosquitoes (Haemagogus spp. and Sabethes spp.) [2]. These mosquitoes mainly feed on NHP, they can incidentally transmit the virus to humans [2]. The 2016–2019 YF epidemics affected densely populated areas, especially the Southeast region, causing thousands of deaths of humans and non-human primates (NHP)
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