Sylvatic Strains Research Articles

Trade-offs shaping transmission of sylvatic dengue and Zika viruses in monkey hosts

Mosquito-borne dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses originated in Old World sylvatic (forest) cycles involving monkeys and canopy-living Aedes mosquitoes. Both viruses spilled over into human transmission and were translocated to the Americas, opening a path for spillback into Neotropical sylvatic cycles. Studies of the trade-offs that shape within-host dynamics and transmission of these viruses are lacking, hampering efforts to predict spillover and spillback. We infected a native, Asian host species (cynomolgus macaque) and a novel, American host species (squirrel monkey) with sylvatic strains of DENV-2 or ZIKV via mosquito bite. We then monitored aspects of viral replication (viremia), innate and adaptive immune response (natural killer (NK) cells and neutralizing antibodies, respectively), and transmission to mosquitoes. In both hosts, ZIKV reached high titers that translated into high transmission to mosquitoes; in contrast DENV-2 replicated to low levels and, unexpectedly, transmission occurred only when serum viremia was below or near the limit of detection. Our data reveal evidence of an immunologically-mediated trade-off between duration and magnitude of virus replication, as higher peak ZIKV titers are associated with shorter durations of viremia, and higher NK cell levels are associated with lower peak ZIKV titers and lower anti-DENV-2 antibody levels. Furthermore, patterns of transmission of each virus from a Neotropical monkey suggest that ZIKV has greater potential than DENV-2 to establish a sylvatic transmission cycle in the Americas.

Infection, Dissemination, and Replication of Urban and Sylvatic Strains of Dengue Virus Type 2 (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) in Australian Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

The dengue viruses (DENVs) occur throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world where they infect 100s of millions of people annually. In Australia, the dengue receptive zone is confined to the northern state of Queensland where the principal vector Aedes aegypti (L.) is present. In the current study, two populations of Ae. aegypti from north Queensland were exposed to two urban outbreak strains and one sylvatic strain of dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2). The titer of virus required to infect 50% of mosquitoes was between 105 and 106 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID)50/ml and was influenced by the combination of the origin of Ae. aegypti population and virus strain. When exposed to infectious bloodmeal titers > 106 TCID50/ml, infection and dissemination rates were all > 50% and were significantly affected by the origin of the mosquito population but not by the strain of DENV-2. Replication of DENV-2 was also significantly affected by the mosquito population and the titer of the infectious bloodmeal that mosquitoes were exposed to. The results of this study are discussed in the context of DENV transmission dynamics in northern Australia and the relative fitness of the sylvatic virus strain in urban Ae. aegypti populations.

Australian Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are susceptible to infection with a highly divergent and sylvatic strain of dengue virus type 2 but are unlikely to transmit it

BackgroundHumans are the primary hosts of dengue viruses (DENV). However, sylvatic cycles of transmission can occur among non-human primates and human encroachment into forested regions can be a source of emergence of new strains such as the highly divergent and sylvatic strain of DENV2, QML22, recovered from a dengue fever patient returning to Australia from Borneo. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the vector competence of Australian Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for this virus.MethodsFour- to five-day-old mosquitoes from two strains of Ae. aegypti from Queensland, Australia, were fed a meal of sheep blood containing 108 50% cell culture infectious dose per ml (CCID50/ml) of either QML22 or an epidemic strain of DENV serotype 2 (QML16) isolated from a dengue fever patient in Australia in 2015. Mosquitoes were maintained at 28 °C, 75% relative humidity and sampled 7, 10 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Live virions in mosquito bodies (abdomen/thorax), legs and wings and saliva expectorates from individual mosquitoes were quantified using a cell culture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CCELISA) to determine infection, dissemination and transmission rates.ResultsThe infection and dissemination rates of the sylvatic DENV2 strain, QML22, were significantly lower than that for QML16. While the titres of virus in the bodies of mosquitoes infected with either of these viruses were similar, titres in legs and wings were significantly lower in mosquitoes infected with QML22 at most time points although they reached similar levels by 14 dpi. QML16 was detected in 16% (n = 25) and 28% (n = 25) of saliva expectorates at 10 and 14 dpi, respectively. In contrast, no virus was detected in the saliva expectorates of QML22 infected mosquitoes.ConclusionsAustralia urban/peri-urban Ae. aegypti species are susceptible to infection by the sylvatic and highly divergent DENV 2 QML22 but replication of QML22 is attenuated relative to the contemporary strain, QML16. A salivary gland infection or escape barrier may be acting to prevent infection of saliva and would prevent onward transmission of this highly divergent virus in Australia.

Sylvatic dengue virus type 4 in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in an urban setting in Peninsular Malaysia.

Dengue fever is endemic in Malaysia, contributing to significant economic and health burden in the country. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the main vectors of the dengue virus (DENV), which circulates in sylvatic and human transmission cycles and has been present in Malaysia for decades. The study investigated the presence and distribution of DENV in urban localities in the Klang Valley, Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 364 Ae. aegypti and 1,025 Ae. albopictus larvae, and 10 Ae. aegypti and 42 Ae. albopictus adult mosquitoes were screened for the presence of DENV. In total, 31 (2.2%) samples were positive, of which 2 Ae. albopictus larvae were co-infected with two serotypes, one with DENV-2 and DENV-3 and the other with DENV-3 and DENV-4. Phylogenetic analysis determined that the isolates belonged to DENV-1 genotype I (1 Ae. aegypti adult), DENV-2 (1 Ae. albopictus larva), DENV-3 genotype V (3 Ae. aegypti larvae and 10 Ae. albopictus larvae) and DENV-4 genotype IV (6 Ae. aegypti larvae and 12 Ae. albopictus larvae), a sylvatic strain of DENV-4 which was most closely related with sylvatic strains isolated from arboreal mosquitoes and sentinel monkeys in Peninsular Malaysia in the 1970s. All four DENV serotypes were co-circulating throughout the study period. The detection of a sylvatic strain of DENV-4 in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia highlights the susceptibility of these vectors to infection with sylvatic DENV. The infectivity and vector competence of these urban mosquitoes to this strain of the virus needs further investigation, as well as the possibility of the emergence of sylvatic virus into the human transmission cycle.

Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi strains circulating in Córdoba department (Colombia) isolated from triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) collected by the community.

From 2011 to 2016, 24 cases of Chagas disease were reported in Córdoba according to the national public health surveillance system (Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia en Salud Pública, Sivigila), but the information regarding Trypanosoma cruzi circulating strains and infection rates are unknown. To establish the triatomine species with which people come in contact and recognize as Chagas disease vectors, as well as to assess the infection with trypanosomes and make an exploratory approach to host feeding preferences with the participation of the local community. Triatomines sampling was conducted in 12 municipalities between 2011 and 2016; T. cruzi infection was established by k-PCR, SAT-PCR, while strain genotyping was done by mini-exon and SL-IR (spliced-leader intergenic region) sequence characterization. We also screened for blood sources. Local community members collected the majority of triatomines and we identified three species: Rhodnius pallescens, Panstrongylus geniculatus, and Eratyrus cuspidatus. The overall T. cruzi infection rate in collected triatomines was 66.6% and we detected the TcIDOM and TcI sylvatic strains. Community-based insect collection allowed reporting the presence of P. geniculatus in two new disperse rural settlements, T. cruzi infection of P. geniculatus in Córdoba, and the first report of triatomines infected with T. cruzi in Montería municipality. These results revealed the presence of triatomines infected with T. cruzi inside dwellings in five municipalities of Córdoba. The dominant circulating T. cruzi strain was TcIDOM, a genotype associated with human Chagas disease and cardiomyopathies in Colombia. Our results highlight the importance of local community participation in entomological surveillance tasks.

Murine models susceptibility to distinct Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes infection.

Chagas disease is a complex zoonosis that affects around 8 million people worldwide. This pathology is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a kinetoplastid parasite that shows tremendous genetic diversity evinced in six distinct Discrete Typing Units (TcI-TcVI) including a recent genotype named as TcBat and associated with anthropogenic bats. TcI presents a broad geographical distribution and has been associated with chronic cardiomyopathy. Recent phylogenetic studies suggest the existence of two genotypes (Domestic (TcIDom) and sylvatic TcI) within TcI. The understanding of the course of the infection in different mouse models by these two genotypes is not yet known. Therefore, we infected 126 animals (ICR-CD1, National Institute of Health (NIH) and Balb/c) with two TcIDom strains and one sylvatic strain for a follow-up period of 60 days. We quantified the parasitaemia, immune response and histopathology observing that the maximum day of parasitaemia was achieved at day 21 post-infection. Domestic strains showed higher parasitaemia than the sylvatic strain in the three mouse models; however in the survival curves Balb/c mice were less susceptible to infection compared with NIH and ICR-CD1. Our results suggest that the genetic background plays a fundamental role in the natural history of the infection and the sympatric TcI genotypes have relevant implications in disease pathogenesis.

Trypanosoma cruzi population dynamics in the Central Ecuadorian Coast

Chagas disease is the most important parasitic disease in Latin America. The causative agent, Trypanosoma cruzi, displays high genetic diversity and circulates in complex transmission cycles among domestic, peridomestic and sylvatic environments. In Ecuador, Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is known to be the major vector species implicated in T. cruzi transmission. However, across vast areas of Ecuador, little is known about T. cruzi genetic diversity in relation to different parasite transmission scenarios.Fifty-eight T. cruzi stocks from the central Ecuadorian coast, most of them derived from R. ecuadoriensis, were included in the study. All of them were genotyped as T. cruzi discrete typing unit I (DTU TcI). Analysis of 23 polymorphic microsatellite loci through neighbor joining and discriminant analysis of principal components yielded broadly congruent results and indicate genetic subdivision between sylvatic and peridomestic transmission cycles. However, both analyses also suggest that any barriers are imperfect and significant gene flow between parasite subpopulations in different habitats exists. Also consistent with moderate partition and residual gene flow between subpopulations, the fixation index (FST) was significant, but of low magnitude. Finally, the lack of private alleles in the domestic/peridomestic transmission cycle suggests the sylvatic strains constitute the ancestral population.The T. cruzi population in the central Ecuadorian coast shows moderate tendency to subdivision according to transmission cycle. However, connectivity between cycles exists and the sylvatic T. cruzi population harbored by R. ecuadoriensis vectors appears to constitute a source from which the parasite invades human domiciles and their surroundings in this region. We discuss the implications these findings have for the planning, implementation and evaluation of local Chagas disease control interventions.

Rabies Epidemiology and Control in Ecuador.

Objective:Describe the epidemiology and the control effort for rabies in Ecuador.Methods:This observational study included data from the Ecuadorian National Institute of Census and Statistics (INEC), and mortality and morbidity data reported by the Ministry of Public Health and the National Institute for Social Security. We conducted a phylogeny analyses to compare the N gene from the Challenge Virus Standard (CVS) vaccine strain used in Ecuador with published Cosmopolitan, Asian and Sylvatic strains. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine the significance of the data.Results:In 1996 Ecuador suffered the highest rate of rabies per capita in the Americas, with an incidence rate of 0.56 cases per 100 000 people per year. Human and canine rabies showed a sharp decline until 2012. Between 1994 and 2014, we found a correlation of 0.925 (p<0.01) between annual cases of dog and human rabies. In 2011, there was an epidemic of sylvatic rabies transmitted to people by vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in the Amazon region, specifically in Morona Santiago, leading to 11 fatalities. Phylogenetic analyses of the CVS vaccine N gene showed an association with urban canine rabies strains (the Cosmopolitan lineage and Asian strains), whereas sylvatic rabies, like those reported in the Amazon region, were found to be grouped in a different clade represented mainly by bat-derived strains.Conclusions:This study presents the first compilation of epidemiological data on rabies in Ecuador. The incidence of human and canine rabies, also known as urban rabies, has clearly decreased due to massive canine vaccination campaigns. Phylogenetic analysis of the prevailing vaccine used in the country showed a clear separation from bat-derived rabies, the source of recent rabies outbreaks. Efforts are ongoing to develop rabies vaccines that are highly specific to the rabies virus genotype circulating in the region, including sylvatic rabies. These efforts include the implementation of reverse genetics to generate recombinant virus coding for the prevailing glycoprotein gene.

Reservoir host competence and the role of domestic and commensal hosts in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi

We review the epidemiological role of domestic and commensal hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi using a quantitative approach, and compiled >400 reports on their natural infection. We link the theory underlying simple mathematical models of vector-borne parasite transmission to the types of evidence used for reservoir host identification: mean duration of infectious life; host infection and infectiousness; and host-vector contact. The infectiousness of dogs or cats most frequently exceeded that of humans. The host-feeding patterns of major vectors showed wide variability among and within triatomine species related to their opportunistic behavior and variable ecological, biological and social contexts. The evidence shows that dogs, cats, commensal rodents and domesticated guinea pigs are able to maintain T. cruzi in the absence of any other host species. They play key roles as amplifying hosts and sources of T. cruzi in many (peri)domestic transmission cycles covering a broad diversity of ecoregions, ecotopes and triatomine species: no other domestic animal plays that role. Dogs comply with the desirable attributes of natural sentinels and sometimes were a point of entry of sylvatic parasite strains. The controversies on the role of cats and other hosts illustrate the issues that hamper assessing the relative importance of reservoir hosts on the basis of fragmentary evidence. We provide various study cases of how eco-epidemiological and genetic-marker evidence helped to unravel transmission cycles and identify the implicated hosts. Keeping dogs, cats and rodents out of human sleeping quarters and reducing their exposure to triatomine bugs are predicted to strongly reduce transmission risks.

Differences in type I interferon signaling antagonism by dengue viruses in human and non-human primate cell lines.

Background/ObjectivesIn vitro studies have shown that dengue virus (DENV) can thwart the actions of interferon (IFN)-α/β and prevent the development of an antiviral state in infected cells. Clinical studies looking at gene expression in patients with severe dengue show a reduced expression of interferon stimulated genes compared to patients with dengue fever. Interestingly, there are conflicting reports as to the ability of DENV or other flaviviruses to inhibit IFN-α/β signaling.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn order to determine the relative inhibition of IFN-α/β signaling by DENVs, a method combining flow cytometry and a four-parameter logistic regression model was established. A representative isolate from DENV-1, -3 and -4 and seventeen representative isolates encompassing all DENV-2 genotypes were evaluated. All of the DENVs evaluated in this study were capable of inhibiting IFN-α/β signaling. Most of the strains were able to inhibit IFN-α/β to a degree similar to DENV strain 16681; however, DENV-2 sylvatic strains demonstrated an increased inhibition of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (pSTAT1). Surprisingly, we were unable to observe inhibition of pSTAT1 by DENV-2 sylvatic strains or the Asian strain 16681 in non-human primate (NHP) cell lines. Analysis in primary Rhesus macaque dendritic cells suggests that DENVs are capable of inhibiting IFN signaling in these cells. However, contrary to human dendritic cells, production of IFN-α was detected in the supernatant of DENV-infected Rhesus macaque dendritic cells.ConclusionsThe ability of DENVs to inhibit IFN-α/β signaling is conserved. Although some variation in the inhibition was observed, the moderate differences may be difficult to correlate with clinical outcomes. DENVs were unable to inhibit pSTAT1 in NHP cell lines, but their ability to inhibit pSTAT1 in primary Rhesus macaque dendritic cells suggests that this may be a cell specific phenomena or due to the transformed nature of the cell lines.

Comparative study of the biological properties of Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes in a murine experimental model

Chagas disease is an endemic zoonosis in Latin America and caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This kinetoplastid displays remarkable genetic variability, allowing its classification into six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) from TcI to TcVI. T. cruzi I presents the broadest geographical distribution in the continent and has been associated to severe forms of cardiomyopathies. Recently, a particular genotype associated to human infections has been reported and named as TcIDOM (previously named TcIa-b). This genotype shows to be clonal and adapted to the domestic cycle but so far no studies have determined the biological properties of domestic (TcIDOM) and sylvatic TcI strains (previously named TcIc-e). Hence, the aim of this study was to untangle the biological features of these genotypes in murine models. We infected ICR-CD1 mice with five TcI strains (two domestic, two sylvatic and one natural mixture) and determined the course of infection during 91days (acute and chronic phase of the disease) in terms of parasitemia, tissue tropism, immune response (IgG titers) and tissue invasion by means of histopathology studies. Statistically significant differences were observed in terms of parasitemia curves and prepatent period between domestic (TcIDOM) and sylvatic strains. There were no differences in terms of IgG antibodies response across the mice infected with the five strains. Regarding the histopathology, our results indicate that domestic strains present higher parasitemias and low levels of histopathological damage. In contrast, sylvatic strains showed lower parasitemias and high levels of histopathological damage. These results highlight the sympatric and behavioral differences of domestic and sylvatic TcI strains; the clinical and epidemiological implications are herein discussed.

The identification of two Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes from domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles in Colombia based on a single polymerase chain reaction amplification of the spliced-leader intergenic region

A single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reaction targeting the spliced-leader intergenic region of Trypanosoma cruzi I was standardised by amplifying a 231 bp fragment in domestic (TcIDOM) strains or clones and 450 and 550 bp fragments in sylvatic strains or clones. This reaction was validated using 44 blind coded samples and 184 non-coded T. cruzi I clones isolated from sylvatic triatomines and the correspondence between the amplified fragments and their domestic or sylvatic origin was determined. Six of the nine strains isolated from acute cases suspected of oral infection had the sylvatic T. cruzi I profile. These results confirmed that the sylvatic T. cruzi I genotype is linked to cases of oral Chagas disease in Colombia. We therefore propose the use of this novel PCR reaction in strains or clones previously characterised as T. cruzi I to distinguish TcIDOMfrom sylvatic genotypes in studies of transmission dynamics, including the verification of population selection within hosts or detection of the frequency of mixed infections by both T. cruzi I genotypes in Colombia.

The identification of two Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes from domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles in Colombia based on a single polymerase chain reaction amplification of the spliced-leader intergenic region

A single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reaction targeting the spliced-leader intergenic region of Trypanosoma cruzi I was standardised by amplifying a 231 bp fragment in domestic (TcIDOM) strains or clones and 450 and 550 bp fragments in sylvatic strains or clones. This reaction was validated using 44 blind coded samples and 184 non-coded T. cruzi I clones isolated from sylvatic triatomines and the correspondence between the amplified fragments and their domestic or sylvatic origin was determined. Six of the nine strains isolated from acute cases suspected of oral infection had the sylvatic T. cruzi I profile. These results confirmed that the sylvatic T. cruzi I genotype is linked to cases of oral Chagas disease in Colombia. We therefore propose the use of this novel PCR reaction in strains or clones previously characterised as T. cruzi I to distinguish TcIDOMfrom sylvatic genotypes in studies of transmission dynamics, including the verification of population selection within hosts or detection of the frequency of mixed infections by both T. cruzi I genotypes in Colombia.

Emergence potential of sylvatic dengue virus type 4 in the urban transmission cycle is restrained by vaccination and homotypic immunity

Sylvatic dengue viruses (DENV) are both evolutionarily and ecologically distinct from human DENV and are maintained in an enzootic transmission cycle. Evidence of sylvatic human infections from West Africa and Southeast Asia suggests that sylvatic DENV come into regular contact with humans. Thus, this potential of emergence into the human transmission cycle could limit the potential for eradicating this cycle with vaccines currently in late stages of development. We assessed the likelihood of sylvatic DENV-4 emergence in the face of natural immunity to current human strains and vaccination with two DENV-4 vaccine candidates. Our data indicate homotypic neutralization of sylvatic and human DENV-4 strains by human primary convalescent and vaccinee sera but limited heterotypic immunity. These results suggest that emergence of sylvatic strains into the human cycle would be limited by homotypic immunity mediated by virus neutralizing antibodies produced by natural infection or vaccination.

North American import? Charting the origins of an enigmatic Trypanosoma cruzi domestic genotype

BackgroundTrypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, is currently recognized as a complex of six lineages or Discrete Typing Units (DTU): TcI-TcVI. Recent studies have identified a divergent group within TcI - TcIDOM. TcIDOM. is associated with a significant proportion of human TcI infections in South America, largely absent from local wild mammals and vectors, yet closely related to sylvatic strains in North/Central America. Our aim was to examine hypotheses describing the origin of the TcIDOM genotype. We propose two possible scenarios: an emergence of TcIDOM in northern South America as a sister group of North American strain progenitors and dispersal among domestic transmission cycles, or an origin in North America, prior to dispersal back into South American domestic cycles. To provide further insight we undertook high resolution nuclear and mitochondrial genotyping of multiple Central American strains (from areas of México and Guatemala) and included them in an analysis with other published data.FindingsMitochondrial sequence and nuclear microsatellite data revealed a cline in genetic diversity across isolates grouped into three populations: South America, North/Central America and TcIDOM. As such, greatest diversity was observed in South America (Ar = 4.851, π = 0.00712) and lowest in TcIDOM (Ar = 1.813, π = 0.00071). Nuclear genetic clustering (genetic distance based) analyses suggest that TcIDOM is nested within the North/Central American clade.ConclusionsDeclining genetic diversity across the populations, and corresponding hierarchical clustering suggest that emergence of this important human genotype most likely occurred in North/Central America before moving southwards. These data are consistent with early patterns of human dispersal into South America.

Genetic and phenotypic characterization of sylvatic dengue virus type 4 strains

Four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV 1–4) currently circulate between humans and domestic/peridomestic Aedes mosquitoes, resulting in 100 million infections per year. All four serotypes emerged, independently, from sylvatic progenitors transmitted among non-human primates by arboreal Aedes mosquitoes. This study investigated the genetic and phenotypic changes associated with emergence of human DENV-4 from its sylvatic ancestors. Analysis of complete genomes of 3 sylvatic and 4 human strains revealed high conservation of both the 5′- and 3′-untranslated regions but considerable divergence within the open reading frame. Additionally, the two ecotypes did not differ significantly in replication dynamics in cultured human liver (Huh-7), monkey kidney (Vero) or mosquito (C6/36) cells, although significant inter-strain variation within ecotypes was detected. These findings are in partial agreement with previous studies of DENV-2, where human strains produced a larger number of progeny than sylvatic strains in human liver cells but not in monkey or mosquito cells.

First Report of Sylvatic DENV-2-Associated Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in West Africa

Dengue virus (DENV) circulates in human and sylvatic cycles. Sylvatic strains are both ecologically and evolutionarily distinct from endemic viruses. Although sylvatic dengue cycles occur in West African countries and Malaysia, only a few cases of mild human disease caused by sylvatic strains and one single case of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Malaysia have been reported. Here we report a case of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) with thrombocytopenia (13000/µl), a raised hematocrit (32% above baseline) and mucosal bleeding in a 27-year-old male returning to Spain in November 2009 after visiting his home country Guinea Bissau. Sylvatic DENV-2 West African lineage was isolated from blood and sera. This is the first case of DHF associated with sylvatic DENV-2 in Africa and the second case worldwide of DHF caused by a sylvatic strain.

The Crab Hole Mosquito Blues

Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) epizoodemics were reported at 6–10-year intervals in northern South America beginning in the 1920s. In 1937, epizootic VEE virus was isolated from infected horse brain and shown as distinct from the North American equine encephalomyelitis viruses. Subsequently, epizootic and sylvatic strains were isolated in distinct ecosystems; isolates were characterized serologically as epizootic subtype I, variants A/B and C; or sylvatic (enzootic) subtype I, variants D, E, and F, and subtypes II, III, and IV. In 1969, variant I-A/B virus was transported from a major outbreak in northern South America to the borders of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This musical poem describes the history and ecology of VEE viruses and the epidemiology of an unprecedented 1969 movement of VEE viruses from South America to equids and humans in Central America from Costa Rica to Guatemala and Belize and in Mexico and the United States that continued until 1972.

Sylvatic Dengue Viruses Share the Pathogenic Potential of Urban/Endemic Dengue Viruses

Dengue virus (DENV) exists in both sylvatic and urban/endemic ecotypes ([15][1]), and the potential for emergence of sylvatic strains has become a focus of research. Recently Mota and Rico-Hesse ([10][2]) attempted to evaluate the pathogenic potential of viruses belonging to different genetic

Trypanosoma cruzi: Do different sylvatic strains trigger distinct immune responses?

Strains of Trypanosoma cruzi are multiclonal populations that can be classified in groups or genotypes, differing in pathogenicity, virulence, and histotropism. In this experiment the distinct behavior of two strains of T. cruzi, MORC-1 and MORC-2, was documented. Blood parasitemia, spleen proliferation, nitric oxide, histopathology of the spleen and heart were used as tools to evaluate parasite persistence. Groups of male mice were separated and divided in three groups: Control (C), Infected (IM-1) and Infected (IM-2). The peak of parasitemia occurred on 10 days post infection for both strains. LPS stimulated animals, infected MORC-2 group displayed significant higher concentrations of NO when compared to infected MORC-1 group ( P < 0.05). For ConA stimulated lymphoproliferation, infected MORC-1 group displayed higher proliferation index as compared to infected MORC-2 group. An opposite behavior for IL-4 and TNF-α was observed according to the strain. For MORC-1 enhanced concentrations of IL-4 were present with concomitant reduced levels of TNF-α, while for MORC-2 enhanced concentrations of TNF-α and reduced levels of IL-4 were found. The histopathology of heart and spleen showed important differences in which MORC-1 displayed statistically enhanced number of amastigote in the heart and spleen as compared to MORC-2. Concluding, each strain triggered a distinct immune response with enhanced cytokine TH-1 profile for MORC-2 and TH-2 for MORC-1.