Isolation of yellow fever virus (YFV) from naturally infectied Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (diptera, cukicudae) in São Paulo State, Brazil, 2009

• Main Authors: Renato Pereira de Souza, Selma Petrella, Terezinha Lisieux Moraes Coimbra, Adriana Yurika Maeda, Iray Maria Rocco, Ivani Bisordi, Vivian Regina Silveira, Luiz Eloy Pereira, Akemi Suzuki, Sarai Joaquim dos Santos Silva, Fernanda Gisele Silva, Felipe Scassi Salvador, Rosa Maria Tubaki, Regiane Tironi Menezes, Mariza Pereira, Eduardo Sterlino Bergo, Roberto Colozza Hoffmann, Roberta Maria Fernandes Spinola, Cílea Hatsumi Tengan, Melissa Mascheratti Siciliano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2011-06-01
• Series: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Subjects: Yellow fever; Haemagogus leucocelaenus; Arbovirus
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652011000300004&lng=en&tlng=en
• ISSN: 1678-9946

After detecting the death of Howlers monkeys (genus Alouatta) and isolation of yellow fever virus (YFV) in Buri county, São Paulo, Brazil, an entomological research study in the field was started. A YFV strain was isolated from newborn Swiss mice and cultured cells of Aedes albopictus - C6/36, from a pool of six Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Hg. leucocelaenus) mosquitoes (Dyar & Shannon) collected at the study site. Virus RNA fragment was amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. The MCC Tree generated showed that the isolated strain is related to the South American I genotype, in a monophyletic clade containing isolates from recent 2008-2010 epidemics and epizootics in Brazil. Statistical analysis commonly used were calculated to characterize the sample in relation to diversity and dominance and indicated a pattern of dominance of one or a few species. Hg. leucocelaenus was found infected in Rio Grande do Sul State as well. In São Paulo State, this is the first detection of YFV in Hg. leucocelaenus.