Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2010 | Research
Mosquitoes infected with dengue viruses in Brazil
Authors:
Mario LG de Figueiredo, Almério de C Gomes, Alberto A Amarilla, André de S Leandro, Agnaldo de S Orrico, Renato F de Araujo, Jesuína do SM Castro, Edison L Durigon, Victor H Aquino, Luiz TM Figueiredo
Published in:
Virology Journal
|
Issue 1/2010
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Abstract
Dengue epidemics have been reported in Brazil since 1985. The scenery has worsened in the last decade because several serotypes are circulating and producing a hyper-endemic situation, with an increase of DHF/DSS cases as well as the number of fatalities. Herein, we report dengue virus surveillance in mosquitoes using a Flavivirus genus-specific RT-Hemi-Nested-PCR assay. The mosquitoes (Culicidae, n = 1700) collected in the Northeast, Southeast and South of Brazil, between 1999 and 2005, were grouped into 154 pools. Putative genomes of DENV-1, -2 and -3 were detected in 6 mosquito pools (3.8%). One amplicon of putative DENV-1 was detected in a pool of Haemagogus leucocelaenus suggesting that this virus could be involved in a sylvatic cycle. DENV-3 was found infecting 3 pools of larvae of Aedes albopictus and the nucleotide sequence of one of these viruses was identified as DENV-3 of genotype III, phylogenetically related to other DENV-3 isolated in Brazil. This is the first report of a nucleotide sequence of DENV-3 from larvae of Aedes albopictus.