Abstract
Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arthropod transmitted Orthobunyavirus circulating in South and Central America. During the last 60 years, more than 30 epidemics and over half a million clinical cases attributed to OROV infection have been reported in Brazil, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago. OROV fever is considered the second most frequent arboviral febrile disease in Brazil after dengue fever. OROV is transmitted through both urban and sylvatic transmission cycles, with the primary vector in the urban cycle being the anthropophilic biting midge Culicoides paraensis. Currently, there is no evidence of direct human-to-human OROV transmission. OROV fever is usually either undiagnosed due to its mild, self-limited manifestations or misdiagnosed because its clinical characteristics are similar to dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, including malaria as well. At present, there is no specific antiviral treatment, and in the absence of a vaccine for effective prophylaxis of human populations in endemic areas, the disease prevention relies solely on vector control strategies and personal protection measures. OROV fever is considered to have the potential to spread across the American continent and under favorable climatic conditions may expand its geographic distribution to other continents. In view of OROV’s emergence, increased interest for formerly neglected tropical diseases and within the One Health concept, the existing knowledge and gaps of knowledge on OROV fever are reviewed.
Highlights
Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arbovirus of the Orthobunyavirus genus in the Peribunyaviridae family, which is transmitted to humans predominantly by the biting midge Culicoides paraensis [1,2]
Epidemiological studies based on enzyme linked serological assays (ELISA) and plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT) have demonstrated high seroprevalence and continuous transmission amongst the population of Iquitos [59,60], which is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon, serving as a touristic, trade and military center of the greater region, with intense human and animal population transition favoring OROV fever transmission [30]
OROV fever is an emergent zoonotic disease that is currently endemic in certain regions of South and Central America
Summary
Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arbovirus of the Orthobunyavirus genus in the Peribunyaviridae family (order Bunyavirales), which is transmitted to humans predominantly by the biting midge Culicoides paraensis [1,2]. It is only recently that OROV fever has attracted more research attention for reasons associated with the climate change, the geographic expansion of the arthropod vectors, the globalization of human and animal transportation and the emergence of other arboviral diseases hitting the headlines (West Nile fever, Zika). OROV’s potential to spread geographically, increasing the probabilities of the disease to emerge in new areas is signifying its importance at an international public health level. Because of its potential public health significance, an update of the existing knowledge on OROV fever is presented
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