Travel-associated international spread of Oropouche virus beyond the Amazon

Oropouche virus (OROV), first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955, was historically confined to the Brazilian Amazon Basin. However, since late 2022, an increasing number of OROV cases have been reported across various regions of Brazil as well as in urban centers in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and Peru. In collaboration with Central Public Health Laboratories across Brazil, we integrated epidemiological metadata with genomic analyses from recent cases, generating 133 whole-genome sequences covering the virus's three genomic segments (L, M, and S). These include the first genomes from regions outside the Amazon and from the first recorded fatal cases. Phylogenetic analyses show that the 2024 OROV genomes form a monophyletic group with sequences from the Amazon Basin sampled since 2022, revealing a rapid north-to-south viral movement into historically non-endemic areas. We identified 21 reassortment events, though it remains unclear whether these genomic changes have facilitated viral adaptation to local ecological conditions or contributed to phenotypic traits of public health significance. Our findings demonstrate how OROV has evolved through reassortment and spread rapidly across multiple states in Brazil, leading to the largest outbreak ever recorded outside the Amazon and the first confirmed fatalities. Additionally, by analysing travel-related cases, we provide the first insights into the international spread of OROV beyond Brazil, further highlighting the role of human mobility in its dissemination. The virus's recent rapid geographic expansion and the emergence of severe cases emphasize the urgent need for enhanced surveillance across the Americas. In the absence of significant human population changes over the past two years, factors such as viral adaptation, deforestation, and climate shifts-either individually or in combination-may have facilitated the spread of OROV beyond the Amazon Basin through both local and travel-associated transmission.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Travel Medicine
Published
2025-03-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaf018
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Viral Infections and Vectors
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
19.55
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article

Travel-associated international spread of Oropouche virus beyond the Amazon

Ethel Leonor Nóia Maciel, Sabrina Gonçalves, Felipe Campos de Melo Iani, Rivaldo Venâncio da Cunha et al.
14 citations
Journal of Travel Medicine
Viral Infections and Vectors
19.55
article

Travel-associated international spread of Oropouche virus beyond the Amazon

Ethel Leonor Nóia Maciel, Sabrina Gonçalves, Felipe Campos de Melo Iani, Rivaldo Venâncio da Cunha, Wesley C. Van Voorhis, Adriana Aparecida Ribeiro, Kláucia Rodrigues Vasconcelos, Peter Rabinowitz, Marília Lima Cruz Rocha, Keldenn Melo Farias Moreno, Dejanira dos Santos Pereira, Glauco de Carvalho Pereira, Arabela Leal e Silva de Mello, Luíz Marcelo Ribeiro Tomé, Houriiyah Tegally, Paulo Eduardo de Souza da Silva, Mauricio Teixeira Lima, Vanessa Brandão Nardy, Lívia Carla Vinhal Frutuoso, Túlio de Oliveira, Alexander Rosewell, Ludmila Oliveira Lamounier, Marcela Gómez, Maira Alves Pereira, Felicidade Mota Pereira, Sílvia Helena Sousa Pietra Pedroso, Talita Adelino, Richard Lessells, Luíz Carlos Júnior Alcântara, Massimo Ciccozzi, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Marta Giovanetti, Vagner Fonseca, José Lourenço, Júlio Croda, Elaine Cristina de Oliveira, Edward C. Holmes, Natália Rocha Guimarães, Álvaro Ferreira, Stephanni Figueiredo da Silva, Senele Ana de Alcântara Belettini, Marília Santini de Oliveira, Janete Taynã Nascimento Rodrigues, Leandro Cavalcante Santos, Priscila Souza de Almeida, Brenda Machado Moura Fernandes, Marlei Pickler Dediasi dos Anjos, E. Pimentel, Mariza Hoffmann Machado, Carlos F. Campelo de Albuquerque, Júlia Deffune Profeta Cidin Almeida, Sara Cândida Ferreira dos Santos, Sofia Isabel Rótulo Araújo, Darren P. Martin, Fábio Guilherme Mesquita Lima, Mariana Araújo Costa, Fernanda Viana Moreira Silva, Lívia Cristina Machado Silva
article en
14 citations

Abstract

Oropouche virus (OROV), first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955, was historically confined to the Brazilian Amazon Basin. However, since late 2022, an increasing number of OROV cases have been reported across various regions of Brazil as well as in urban centers in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and Peru. In collaboration with Central Public Health Laboratories across Brazil, we integrated epidemiological metadata with genomic analyses from recent cases, generating 133 whole-genome sequences covering the virus's three genomic segments (L, M, and S). These include the first genomes from regions outside the Amazon and from the first recorded fatal cases. Phylogenetic analyses show that the 2024 OROV genomes form a monophyletic group with sequences from the Amazon Basin sampled since 2022, revealing a rapid north-to-south viral movement into historically non-endemic areas. We identified 21 reassortment events, though it remains unclear whether these genomic changes have facilitated viral adaptation to local ecological conditions or contributed to phenotypic traits of public health significance. Our findings demonstrate how OROV has evolved through reassortment and spread rapidly across multiple states in Brazil, leading to the largest outbreak ever recorded outside the Amazon and the first confirmed fatalities. Additionally, by analysing travel-related cases, we provide the first insights into the international spread of OROV beyond Brazil, further highlighting the role of human mobility in its dissemination. The virus's recent rapid geographic expansion and the emergence of severe cases emphasize the urgent need for enhanced surveillance across the Americas. In the absence of significant human population changes over the past two years, factors such as viral adaptation, deforestation, and climate shifts-either individually or in combination-may have facilitated the spread of OROV beyond the Amazon Basin through both local and travel-associated transmission.

Journal of Travel MedicineVol. 32(3)
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (BR), The University of Sydney (AU), Universidade do Estado da Bahia (BR), Universidade Federal do Acre (BR), Università Campus Bio-Medico (IT), University of Cape Town (ZA), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (BR), National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (PK), University of Washington (US), Universidade Católica Portuguesa (PT), Stellenbosch University (ZA), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), Ezequiel Dias Foundation (BR), Faculdades Oswaldo Cruz (BR), Institute of Translational Health Sciences (US), Pan American Health Organization (Brasil) (BR), Ministério da Saúde (BR), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), Ministério da Saúde (ST), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (BR), Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (BR), Climate Foundation (US), Fundação de Tecnologia do Estado do Acre (BR), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (BR), University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Viral Infections and Vectors
19.55
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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