Short report: Introduction of chikungunya virus ECSA genotype into the Brazilian Midwest and its dispersion through the Americas

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Apr 16;15(4):e0009290. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009290. eCollection 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Since introduction into Brazil in 2014, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has presented sustained transmission, although much is unknown about its circulation in the midwestern states. Here, we analyze 24 novel partial and near complete CHIKV genomes from Cuiaba, an urban metropolis located in the Brazilian midwestern state of Mato Grosso (MT). Nanopore technology was used for sequencing CHIKV complete genomes. Phylogenetic and epidemiological approaches were used to explore the recent spatio-temporal evolution and spread of the CHIKV-ECSA genotype in Midwest Brazil as well as in the Americas. Epidemiological data revealed a reduction in the number of reported cases over 2018-2020, likely as a consequence of a gradual accumulation of herd-immunity. Phylogeographic reconstructions revealed that at least two independent introductions of the ECSA lineage occurred in MT from a dispersion event originating in the northeastern region and suggest that the midwestern Brazilian region appears to have acted as a source of virus transmission towards Paraguay, a bordering South American country. Our results show a complex dynamic of transmission between epidemic seasons and suggest a possible role of Brazil as a source for international dispersion of the CHIKV-ECSA genotype to other countries in the Americas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Chikungunya Fever / diagnosis
  • Chikungunya Fever / epidemiology*
  • Chikungunya Fever / transmission*
  • Chikungunya virus / genetics*
  • Chikungunya virus / isolation & purification
  • Epidemiological Monitoring
  • Female
  • Genome, Viral / genetics*
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phylogeny
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis
  • Whole Genome Sequencing
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Decit/SCTIE/BrMoH/CNPq (440685/2016-8 - 421598/2018-2), by CAPES (88887.130716/2016-00), by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 under grant agreements ZIKACTION (734857) and ZIKAPLAN (734548), by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – FAPERJ (E-26/2002.930/2016), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada (108411-001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.