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The main objective of this study was to evaluate the structure and population dynamics of Aedes aegypti in the Vila Toninho neighborhood (Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil) and verify the relationship between this vector and dengue cases, average temperature, and average precipitation. The shape and size of wings of 187 Ae. aegypti females, which were collected in 2017, were analyzed using geometric morphometry according to the season and collection areas (delimited by the occurrence of severe dengue cases). The wing shape was different between seasons, especially between winter and spring (p < 0.0001), and between collection areas in summer (p < 0.0001). Further, the wing size was different between seasons when analyzed together (p = 0.006), between winter and summer (p < 0.05), and between winter and autumn (p < 0.01). The number of mosquitoes collected was correlated with the average temperature (p = 0.021) and average precipitation (p = 0.001). The study results show evidence regarding microevolution of Ae. aegypti in Vila Toninho, which may have been influenced by environmental factors in different seasons. The population structure of these mosquitoes may indicate differences in other important epidemiological aspects, such as the dispersion of this vector, which should be investigated in future studies.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:35:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-10-01 Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Center for Information Technology Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) The emergence of several SARS-CoV-2 lineages presenting adaptive mutations is a matter of concern worldwide due to their potential ability to increase transmission and/or evade the immune response. While performing epidemiological and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from Porto Ferreira—São Paulo—Brazil, we identified sequences classified by pangolin as B.1.1.28 harboring Spike L452R mutation, in the RBD region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these sequences grouped into a monophyletic branch, with others from Brazil, mainly from the state of São Paulo. The sequences had a set of 15 clade defining amino acid mutations, of which six were in the Spike protein. A new lineage was proposed to Pango and it was accepted and designated P.4. In samples from the city of Porto Ferreira, P.4 lineage has been increasing in frequency since it was first detected in March 2021, corresponding to 34.7% of the samples sequenced in June, the second in prevalence after P.1. Also, it is circulating in 30 cities from the state of São Paulo, and it was also detected in one sample from the state of Sergipe and two from the state of Rio de Janeiro. Further studies are needed to understand whether P.4 should be considered a new threat. Laboratório de Estudos Genômicos Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) São José do Rio Preto Instituto de Biotecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Bioinformática Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica (LNCC) Laboratório de Síntese e Estudos de Biomoléculas (LaSEBio) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Química Medicinal Síntese Orgânica e Modelagem Molecular (LaQMedSOMM) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Pesquisas em Virologia (LPV) Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas Infecciosas e Parasitárias Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP) Laboratório de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva Aplicada Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA) Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Departamento de Análises Clínicas Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular Instituto de Ciências da Saúde Universidade Feevale Novo Hamburgo Laboratório de Estudos Genômicos Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) São José do Rio Preto Instituto de Biotecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Síntese e Estudos de Biomoléculas (LaSEBio) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Química Medicinal Síntese Orgânica e Modelagem Molecular (LaQMedSOMM) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Departamento de Análises Clínicas Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos: 01.20.0029.000462/20 FAPESP: 20/04836-0 CNPq: 303170/2017-4 CNPq: 404096/2020-4 Center for Information Technology: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Center for Scientific Review: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 FAPERJ: E-26/202.903/20

Background: The emergence of the Brazilian variant of concern, Gamma lineage (P.1), impacted the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 cases due to its higher transmissibility rate and immune evasion ability. Methods: We sequenced 305 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genomes and performed phylogenetic analyses to identify introduction events and the circulating lineages. Additionally, we use epidemiological data of COVID-19 cases, severe cases, and deaths to measure the impact of vaccination coverage and mortality risk. Results: Here we show that Gamma introduction in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, was followed by the displacement of seven circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and a rapid increase in prevalence two months after its first detection in January 2021. Moreover, Gamma variant is associated with increased mortality risk and severity of COVID-19 cases in younger age groups, which corresponds to the unvaccinated population at the time. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the beneficial effects of vaccination indicated by a pronounced reduction of severe cases and deaths in immunized individuals, reinforcing the need for rapid and massive vaccination.

The emergence of the new Brazilian variant of concern, P.1 lineage (Gamma), raised concern about its impact on the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 cases due to its higher transmissibility rate and immune evasion ability. Using 272 whole-genome sequences combined with epidemiological data, we showed that P.1 introduction in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, was followed by the displacement of eight circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and a rapid increase in prevalence two months after its first detection. Our findings support that the P.1 variant is associated with an increase in mortality risk and severity of COVID-19 cases in younger aged groups, which corresponds to the unvaccinated population at the time. Moreover, our data highlight the beneficial effects of vaccination indicated by a pronounced reduction of severe cases and deaths in immunized individuals, reinforcing the need for rapid and massive vaccination.

Background São José do Rio Preto is one of the cities of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, that is hyperendemic for dengue, with the presence of the four dengue serotypes. Objectives: to calculate dengue seroprevalence in a neighbourhood of São José do Rio Preto and identify if socioeconomic and demographic covariates are associated with dengue seropositivity. Methods A cohort study to evaluate dengue seroprevalence and incidence and associated factors on people aged 10 years or older, was assembled in Vila Toninho neighbourhood, São José do Rio Preto. The participant enrolment occurred from October 2015 to March 2016 (the first wave of the cohort study), when blood samples were collected for serological test (ELISA IgG anti-DENV) and questionnaires were administrated on socio-demographic variables. We evaluated the data collected in this first wave using a cross-sectional design. We considered seropositive the participants that were positive in the serological test (seronegative otherwise). We modelled the seroprevalence with a logistic regression in a geostatistical approach. The Bayesian inference was made using integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) coupled with the Stochastic Partial Differential Equation method (SPDE). Results We found 986 seropositive individuals for DENV in 1322 individuals surveyed in the study area in the first wave of the cohort study, corresponding to a seroprevalence of 74.6% (95%CI: 72.2–76.9). Between the population that said never had dengue fever, 68.4% (566/828) were dengue seropositive. Older people, non-white and living in a house (instead of in an apartment), were positively associated with dengue seropositivity. We adjusted for the other socioeconomic and demographic covariates, and accounted for residual spatial dependence between observations, which was found to present up to 800 m. Conclusions Only one in four people aged 10 years or older did not have contact with any of the serotypes of dengue virus in Vila Toninho neighbourhood in São José do Rio Preto. Age, race and type of house were associated with the occurrence of the disease. The use of INLA in a geostatistical approach in a Bayesian context allowed us to take into account the spatial dependence between the observations and identify the associated covariates to dengue seroprevalence. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-019-4074-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identifying Aedes aegypti breeding hotspots in urban areas is crucial for the design of effective vector control strategies. Remote sensing techniques offer valuable tools for mapping habitat suitability. In this study, we evaluated the association between urban landscape, thermal features, and mosquito infestations. Entomological surveys were conducted between 2016 and 2019 in Vila Toninho, a neighborhood of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, in which the numbers of adult female Ae. aegypti were recorded monthly and grouped by season for three years. We used data from 2016 to 2018 to build the model and data from summer of 2019 to validate it. WorldView-3 satellite images were used to extract land cover classes, and land surface temperature data were obtained using the Landsat-8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). A multilevel negative binomial model was fitted to the data, which showed that the winter season has the greatest influence on decreases in mosquito abundance. Green areas and pavements were negatively associated, and a higher cover of asbestos roofs and exposed soil was positively associated with the presence of adult females. These features are related to socio-economic factors but also provide favorable breeding conditions for mosquitos. The application of remote sensing technologies has significant potential for optimizing vector control strategies, future mosquito suppression, and outbreak prediction.

Mosquito-borne diseases affect millions of individuals worldwide; the area of endemic transmission has been increasing due to several factors linked to globalization, urban sprawl, and climate change. The Aedes aegypti mosquito plays a central role in the dissemination of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and urban yellow fever. Current preventive measures include mosquito control programs; however, identifying high-risk areas for mosquito infestation over a large geographic region based only on field surveys is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the potential of remote satellite images (WorldView) for determining land features associated with Ae. aegypti adult infestations in Sao Jose do Rio Preto/SP, Brazil. We used data from 60 adult mosquito traps distributed along four summers; the remote sensing images were classified by land cover types using a supervised classification method. We modeled the number of Ae. aegypti using a Poisson probability distribution with a geostatistical approach. The models were constructed in a Bayesian context using the Integrated nested Laplace Approximations and Stochastic Partial Differential Equation method. We showed that an infestation of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes was positively associated with the presence of asbestos roofing and roof slabs. This may be related to several other factors, such as socioeconomic or environmental factors. The usage of asbestos roofing may be more prevalent in socioeconomically poor areas, while roof slabs may retain rainwater and contribute to the generation of temporary mosquito breeding sites. Although preliminary, our results demonstrate the utility of satellite remote sensing in identifying landscape differences in urban environments using a geostatistical approach, and indicated directions for future research. Further analyses including other variables, such as land surface temperature, may reveal more complex relationships between urban mosquito micro-habitats and land cover features.

We conducted mosquito-based Zika virus surveillance in São Paulo State, Brazil from 2015 to 2018. We found 81 pools positive for Aedes aegypti and one pool positive for Aedes albopictus. Infection rates were highest in the summer. Areas with human Zika cases also had clusters of Zika-positive mosquitoes.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:52:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-06-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Introduction: Traditional indices for measuring dengue fever risk in a given area are based on the immature forms of the vector (larvae and pupae surveys). However, this is inefficient because only adult female mosquitoes actually transmit the virus. Based on these assumptions, our objective was to evaluate the association between an entomological index obtained from adult mosquito traps and the occurrence of dengue in a hyperendemic area. Additionally, we compared its cost to that of the Breteau Index (BI). Material and methods: We performed this study in São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, between the epidemiological weeks of 36/2012 and 19/2013. BG-Sentinel and BG-Mosquitito traps were installed to capture adult mosquitoes. Positive and negative cases of dengue fever were computed and geocoded. We generated biweekly thematic maps of the entomological index, generated by calculating the number of adult Aedes aegypti females (NAF) per 100 households during a week by kriging, and based on the number of mosquitoes captured. The relation between the occurrence of dengue fever and the NAF was tested using a spatial case-control design and a generalized additive model and was controlled by the coordinates of the positive and negative cases of dengue fever. Results: Our analyses showed that increases in dengue fever cases occurred in parallel with increases in the number of Ae. aegypti females. The entomological index produced in our study correlates positively with the incidence of dengue, particularly during intervals when vector control measures were applied less intensively. The operational costs of our index were lower than those of the BI: NAF used 71.5% less human resources necessary to measure the BI. Conclusions: Spatial analysis techniques and the number of adult Ae. aegypti females were used to produce an indicator of dengue risk. The index can be applied at various levels of spatial aggregation for an entire study area, as well as for sub-areas, such as city blocks. Even though the index is adequate to predict dengue risk, it should be tested and validated in various scenarios before routine use. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Virologia Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima 5416 Laboratório de Entomologia Superintendência de Controle de Endemias, Rua Cardeal Arcoverde 2878 Laboratório de Saúde Pública Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas Campus Araraquara Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rodovia Araraquara-Jaú km 1 Departamento de Parasitologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627 Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627 Departamento de Microbiologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627 Departamento de Epidemiologia Faculdade de Saúde Pública Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Doutor Arnaldo 715 Laboratório de Saúde Pública Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas Campus Araraquara Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rodovia Araraquara-Jaú km 1 FAPESP: 2013/21719-3

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:02:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-12-01 National Institutes of Health In Africa, Old World Primates are involved in the maintenance of sylvatic circulation of ZIKV. However, in Brazil, the hosts for the sylvatic cycle remain unknown. We hypothesized that free-living NHPs might play a role in urban/periurban ZIKV dynamics, thus we undertook an NHP ZIKV investigation in two cities in Brazil. We identified ZIKV-positive NHPs and sequences obtained were phylogenetically related to the American lineage of ZIKV. Additionally, we inoculated four C. penicillata with ZIKV and our results demonstrated that marmosets had a sustained viremia. The natural and experimental infection of NHPs with ZIKV, support the hypothesis that NHPs may be a vertebrate host in the maintainance of ZIKV transmission/circulation in urban tropical settings. Further studies are needed to understand the role they may play in maintaining the urban cycle of the ZIKV and how they may be a conduit in establishing an enzootic transmission cycle in tropical Latin America. São José do Rio Preto School of Medicine (FAMERP) Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima 5416 CEP: 15090-000, Vila São Pedro Laboratório de Vírus - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627 CEP: 31270-901 Pampulha Center for Drug Research and Development Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627 CEP: 31270-901 Pampulha Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL) Avenida Dr. Arnaldo 351 − 7 Andar Sala 706 CEP: 01246-000 Pacaembú Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology Department of Pathology School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences University of São Paulo (LAPOCM-FMVZ-USP) Avenida Orlando Marques de Paiva 87 CEP: 05508-270 Department of Biology Institute of Biosciences Letters and Exact Sciences – São Paulo State University São José do Rio Preto – (IBILCE/UNESP), Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, CEP: 15054-000 Epidemiological Surveillance Departament of São José do Rio Preto Avenida Romeu Strazzi 199 CEP: 15084-010 Vila Sinibaldi São Paulo State University (Unesp) Institute for Biotechnology Alameda das Tecomarias s/n CEP: 18607-440 Chácara Capão Bonito Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Texas Medical Branch 301 University Blvd Centro de Controle de Zoonoses Belo Horizonte Council Rua Édna Quintel 173 CEP: 31270-705 São Bernardo Faceres Medical School Avenida Anísio Haddad 6751 CEP: 15090-305 Jardim Francisco Fernandes Department of Epidemiology School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo Avenida Dr. Arnaldo 715 CEP: 01246-904 Department of Pathology and Center of Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Center for Tropical Diseases Institute for Human Infections and Immunity University of Texas Medical Branch 301 University Blvd Department of Biology Institute of Biosciences Letters and Exact Sciences – São Paulo State University São José do Rio Preto – (IBILCE/UNESP), Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, CEP: 15054-000 São Paulo State University (Unesp) Institute for Biotechnology Alameda das Tecomarias s/n CEP: 18607-440 Chácara Capão Bonito National Institutes of Health: R24AI120942

Introduction Here, we evaluated sweeping methods used to estimate the number of immature Aedes aegypti in large containers. Methods III/IV instars and pupae at a 9:1 ratio were placed in three types of containers with, each one with three different water levels. Two sweeping methods were tested: water-surface sweeping and five-sweep netting. The data were analyzed using linear regression. Results The five-sweep netting technique was more suitable for drums and water-tanks, while the water-surface sweeping method provided the best results for swimming pools. Conclusions Both sweeping methods are useful tools in epidemiological surveillance programs for the control of Aedes aegypti.