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

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e0009290
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Elaine Cristina, Fonseca, Vagner, Xavier, Joilson, Adelino, Talita, Morales Claro, Ingra, Fabri, Allison, Marques Macario, Eduardo, Viniski, Ana Elisa, Campos Souza, Claudio Luis, Gomes da Costa, Evanil Sebastiana, Soares de Sousa, Claudia, Guimarães Dias Duarte, Flávia, Correia de Medeiros, Arnaldo, Campelo de Albuquerque, Carlos F, Venancio Cunha, Rivaldo, Oliveira De Moura, Noely Fabiana, Bispo de Filippis, Ana Maria, Oliveira, Tulio de, Lourenço, José, de Abreu, André Luiz, Alcantara, Luiz Carlos Junior, Giovanetti, Marta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 16-04-2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biology and life sciences; Chikungunya virus; Computer and Information Sciences; Distribution; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Genetic aspects; Genotype; Identification and classification; Medicine and Health Sciences; People and places; Virus research; Brazil
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009290

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.