Identification of Oropouche Orthobunyavirus in the cerebrospinal fluid of three patients in the Amazonas, Brazil

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Apr;86(4):732-5. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0485.

Abstract

Oropouche fever is the second most frequent arboviral infection in Brazil, surpassed only by dengue. Oropouche virus (OROV) causes large and explosive outbreaks of acute febrile illness in cities and villages in the Amazon and Central-Plateau regions. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 110 meningoencephalitis patients were analyzed. The RNA extracted from fluid was submitted to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing to identify OROV. Three CSF samples showed the presence of OROV causing infection in the central nervous system (CNS). These patients are adults. Two of the patients had other diseases affecting CNS and immune systems: neurocysticercosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, respectively. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the OROV from the CSF of these patients belonged to genotype I. We show here that severe Oropouche disease is occurring during outbreaks of this virus in Brazil.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Dengue / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Dengue / epidemiology
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • Genome, Viral*
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Meningoencephalitis / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Meningoencephalitis / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Orthobunyavirus / genetics
  • Orthobunyavirus / isolation & purification*
  • Orthobunyavirus / pathogenicity
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Young Adult