Araçatuba Virus: A Vaccinialike Virus Associated with Infection in Humans and Cattle

• Main Authors: Giliane de Souza Trindade, Flávio Guimarães da Fonseca, João Trindade Marques, Maurício Lacerda Nogueira, Luiz Claudio Nogueira Mendes, Alexandre Secorun Borges, Juliana Regina Peiró, Edviges Maristela Pituco, Cláudio Antônio Bonjardim, Paulo César Peregrino Ferreira, Maurício Teixeira Lima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2003-02-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Araçatuba virus; cowpoxlike outbreak; emergent orthopoxvirus; TK; VGF; HA
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/2/02-0244_article
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059

We describe a vaccinialike virus, Araçatuba virus, associated with a cowpoxlike outbreak in a dairy herd and a related case of human infection. Diagnosis was based on virus growth characteristics, electron microscopy, and molecular biology techniques. Molecular characterization of the virus was done by using polymerase chain reaction amplification, cloning, and DNA sequencing of conserved orthopoxvirus genes such as the vaccinia growth factor (VGF), thymidine kinase (TK), and hemagglutinin. We used VGF-homologous and TK gene nucleotide sequences to construct a phylogenetic tree for comparison with other poxviruses. Gene sequences showed 99% homology with vaccinia virus genes and were clustered together with the isolated virus in the phylogenetic tree. Araçatuba virus is very similar to Cantagalo virus, showing the same signature deletion in the gene. Araçatuba virus could be a novel vaccinialike virus or could represent the spread of Cantagalo virus.