Vaccinia virus in Feces and Urine of Wild Rodents from São Paulo State, Brazil.

Marina Peres,Jane Megid,Thais Bacchiega,Mateus Mioni,Vanessa Pelícia,Clóvis Fonseca,Acácia Vicente,Camila Appolinário,Jonatas Abrahão,Bruna Ribeiro,Fernando Ferreira

doi:10.3390/v10020051

Marina Peres, Jane Megid + Show 9 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/v10020051

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Abstract

The origin of Vaccinia virus (VACV) outbreaks in Brazil remains unknown, but since the isolation of VACV in Mus musculus mice during a zoonotic outbreak affecting cattle and milkers, peridomestic rodents have been suggested to be a link between cows and wild animals. Considering that experimentally infected mice eliminate viral particles in their feces, we investigated the presence of VACV in the feces and urine of wild rodents that were captured in the forest areas surrounding milking farms in the central west region of São Paulo State. For the first time, this work reports the detection of VACV by PCR in the feces of naturally infected Oligoryzomys flavescens, Oligoryzomys nigripes, and Sooretamys angouya, and in the urine of Oligorizomys flavescens, which raises important questions about the spread of VACV by rodent feces and its potential to induce clinical infections in cows.

Highlights

IntroductionThe emergence of human cases of Vaccinia virus (VACV) infection may be related to the end of the intensive vaccination campaign against smallpox promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980, but the origin of the outbreak in cattle remains unknown [5,6]
Vaccinia virus (VACV) is a prototype of the Orthopoxvirus genus (OPV) that has been the causal agent of emergent exanthematous zoonotic outbreaks in Brazil over the past decade [1,2,3,4].The emergence of human cases of VACV infection may be related to the end of the intensive vaccination campaign against smallpox promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980, but the origin of the outbreak in cattle remains unknown [5,6].A hypothetical transmission model has been suggested following the isolation of VACV from Mus musculus mice during a zoonotic outbreak [7]
Samples were collected in three counties in the central west region of São Paulo State with and without histories of VACV zoonotic outbreaks, i.e., Torre de Pedra (23◦ 140 58.7600 S, 48◦ 110 39.4900 W), in which outbreaks were registered in 2007 and 2010 [10,11] and Bofete (23◦ 050 54.5100 S, 48◦ 110 26.6100 W)

Summary

Introduction

The emergence of human cases of VACV infection may be related to the end of the intensive vaccination campaign against smallpox promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980, but the origin of the outbreak in cattle remains unknown [5,6]. A hypothetical transmission model has been suggested following the isolation of VACV from Mus musculus mice during a zoonotic outbreak [7]. In this model, peridomestic rodents act as a connection between wildlife and domestic animals in rural areas [7]. Mice that are experimentally infected eliminate viable viral particles in their feces [8,9], transmission to cows through contact with rodent feces has not been established during any of the Brazilian outbreaks

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