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BMC Medicine
Published in: BMC Medicine 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Emergence and potential for spread of Chikungunya virus in Brazil

Authors: Marcio Roberto Teixeira Nunes, Nuno Rodrigues Faria, Janaina Mota de Vasconcelos, Nick Golding, Moritz UG Kraemer, Layanna Freitas de Oliveira, Raimunda do Socorro da Silva Azevedo, Daisy Elaine Andrade da Silva, Eliana Vieira Pinto da Silva, Sandro Patroca da Silva, Valéria Lima Carvalho, Giovanini Evelim Coelho, Ana Cecília Ribeiro Cruz, Sueli Guerreiro Rodrigues, Joao Lídio da Silva Gonçalves Vianez Jr, Bruno Tardelli Diniz Nunes, Jedson Ferreira Cardoso, Robert B Tesh, Simon I Hay, Oliver G Pybus, Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

In December 2013, an outbreak of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused by the Asian genotype was notified in the Caribbean. The outbreak has since spread to 38 regions in the Americas. By September 2014, the first autochthonous CHIKV infections were confirmed in Oiapoque, North Brazil, and in Feira de Santana, Northeast Brazil.

Methods

We compiled epidemiological and clinical data on suspected CHIKV cases in Brazil and polymerase-chain-reaction-based diagnostic was conducted on 68 serum samples from patients with symptom onset between April and September 2014. Two imported and four autochthonous cases were selected for virus propagation, RNA isolation, full-length genome sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. We then followed CDC/PAHO guidelines to estimate the risk of establishment of CHIKV in Brazilian municipalities.

Results

We detected 41 CHIKV importations and 27 autochthonous cases in Brazil. Epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses indicated local transmission of the Asian CHIKV genotype in Oiapoque. Unexpectedly, we also discovered that the ECSA genotype is circulating in Feira de Santana. The presumed index case of the ECSA genotype was an individual who had recently returned from Angola and developed symptoms in Feira de Santana. We estimate that, if CHIKV becomes established in Brazil, transmission could occur in 94% of municipalities in the country and provide maps of the risk of importation of each strain of CHIKV in Brazil.

Conclusions

The etiological strains associated with the early-phase CHIKV outbreaks in Brazil belong to the Asian and ECSA genotypes. Continued surveillance and vector mitigation strategies are needed to reduce the future public health impact of CHIKV in the Americas.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Emergence and potential for spread of Chikungunya virus in Brazil
Authors
Marcio Roberto Teixeira Nunes
Nuno Rodrigues Faria
Janaina Mota de Vasconcelos
Nick Golding
Moritz UG Kraemer
Layanna Freitas de Oliveira
Raimunda do Socorro da Silva Azevedo
Daisy Elaine Andrade da Silva
Eliana Vieira Pinto da Silva
Sandro Patroca da Silva
Valéria Lima Carvalho
Giovanini Evelim Coelho
Ana Cecília Ribeiro Cruz
Sueli Guerreiro Rodrigues
Joao Lídio da Silva Gonçalves Vianez Jr
Bruno Tardelli Diniz Nunes
Jedson Ferreira Cardoso
Robert B Tesh
Simon I Hay
Oliver G Pybus
Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0348-x

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