Study of Arboviruses in Philander opossum, Didelphis marsupialis and Nectomys rattus captured from forest fragments in the municipality of Belém, Pará, Brazil

Marcella Katheryne Marques Bernal,Washington Luiz Assunção Pereira,Sandy Kelly Souza Marques Da Silva,Sara Letícia Dos Santos Andrade,Fernanda Figueiredo Mendes,Jannifer Oliveira Chiang

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20200515

Marcella Katheryne Marques Bernal, Washington Luiz Assunção Pereira + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20200515

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: Arboviruses are viruses that maintain their life cycle in the wild and are transmitted to vertebrate hosts by hematophagous diptera. They are zoonotic and can establish an enzootic cycle in the urban areas; in humans, the infection can manifest from being encephalitogenic to hemorrhagic. This study aimed to report the occurrence of arboviruses in mammals of the order Didelphimorphia and Rodentia, captured from the Amazon. Serum samples were subjected to hemagglutination inhibition test using a viral panel of 19 species of arboviruses that are known to occur in the Amazon. Altogether, 14 wild mammals, 12 of Philander opossum, 1 of Didelphis marsupialis, and 1 of Nectomys rattus were captured. Eight of these were reported to be seropositive for arboviruses (57.14%) with monotypic seroprevalence for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (n=1), the Ilheus Virus (n=2), and the Catu virus (n=4); 4 heterotypic responses were observed for Flavivirus and Orthobunyavirus. In conclusion, several arbovirus species are in active circulation and maintenance, exhibiting enzootic characteristics in the wild mammals of the Amazon region; these animals prove to be potential hosts in the transmission of diseases to humans.

Highlights

The Amazon region has a wide variety of fauna and flora, biogeographically exhibiting a heterogeneous distribution of various species such as didelphis and rodents (EMMONS, 1997), making these animals vulnerable to minor environmental changes (THIOLLAY, 1994)
The orders Didelphimorphia and Rodentia represent a significant percentage of the diversity observed amongst species of small mammals in the Amazon region (EMMONS; FEER, 1997)
This duality, is an important component of biodiversity and disease transmission; it represents a negative factor for the human well-being, leading to numerous studies on Didelphimorphia and Rodentia worldwide (WOLFF; SHERMAN, 2007)

Summary

Introduction

The Amazon region has a wide variety of fauna and flora, biogeographically exhibiting a heterogeneous distribution of various species such as didelphis and rodents (EMMONS, 1997), making these animals vulnerable to minor environmental changes (THIOLLAY, 1994). In Brazil, there are approximately 267 species of registered, small, non-flying mammals, of which 88 are endemic to the Amazon biome (PAGLIA et al, 2012; DUTRA et al, 2013). Several small mammals are considered agricultural pests, as they act as hosts and reservoirs for pathogenic species that affect humans and domestic animals (MORAND et al, 2006). This duality, is an important component of biodiversity and disease transmission; it represents a negative factor for the human well-being, leading to numerous studies on Didelphimorphia and Rodentia worldwide (WOLFF; SHERMAN, 2007)

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