Postepizootic persistence of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Venezuela

Five years after the apparent end of the major 1995 Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epizootic/epidemic, focal outbreaks of equine encephalitis occurred in Carabobo and Barinas States of western Venezuela. Virus isolates from horses in each location were nearly identical in sequence to 1995 isolates, which suggests natural persistence of subtype IC VEE virus (VEEV) strains in a genetically stable mode. Serologic evidence indicated that additional outbreaks occurred in Barinas State in 2003. Field studies identified known Culex (Melanoconion) spp. vectors and reservoir hosts of enzootic VEEV but a dearth of typical epidemic vectors. Cattle serosurveys indicated the recent circulation of enzootic VEEV strains, and possibly of epizootic strains. Persistence of VEEV subtype IC strains and infection of horses at the end of the rainy season suggest the possibility of an alternative, cryptic transmission cycle involving survival through the dry season of infected vectors or persistently infected vertebrates.     

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection of spiny rats

Enzootic strains of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) circulate in forested habitats of Mexico, Central, and South America, and spiny rats (Proechimys spp.) are believed to be the principal reservoir hosts in several foci. To better understand the host-pathogen interactions and resistance to disease characteristic of many reservoir hosts, we performed experimental infections of F1 progeny from Proechimys chrysaeolus collected at a Colombian enzootic VEEV focus using sympatric and allopatric virus strains. All animals became viremic with a mean peak titer of 3.3 log10 PFU/mL, and all seroconverted with antibody titers from 1:20 to 1:640, which persisted up to 15 months. No signs of disease were observed, including after intracerebral injections. The lack of detectable disease and limited histopathologic lesions in these animals contrast dramatically with the severe disease and histopathologic findings observed in other laboratory rodents and humans, and support their role as reservoir hosts with a long-term coevolutionary relationship to VEEV.     

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus transmission and effect on pathogenesis

Quantifying the dose of an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes is essential for designing pathogenesis studies simulating natural infection of vertebrates. Titration of saliva collected in vitro from infected mosquitoes may not accurately estimate titers transmitted during blood feeding, and infection by needle injection may affect vertebrate pathogenesis. We compared the amount of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus collected from the saliva of Aedes taeniorhynchus to the amount injected into a mouse during blood feeding. Less virus was transmitted by mosquitoes in vivo (geometric mean 11 PFU) than was found for comparable times of salivation in vitro (mean saliva titer 74 PFU). We also observed slightly lower early and late viremia titers in mice that were needle injected with 8 PFU, which represents the low end of the in vivo transmission range. No differences in survival were detected, regardless of the dose or infection route.     

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, southern Mexico

Equine epizootics of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) occurred in the southern Mexican states of Chiapas in 1993 and Oaxaca in 1996. To assess the impact of continuing circulation of VEE virus (VEEV) on human and animal populations, serologic and viral isolation studies were conducted in 2000 to 2001 in Chiapas State. Human serosurveys and risk analyses indicated that long-term endemic transmission of VEEV occurred among villages with seroprevalence levels of 18% to 75% and that medical personnel had a high risk for VEEV exposure. Seroprevalence in wild animals suggested cotton rats as possible reservoir hosts in the region. Virus isolations from sentinel animals and genetic characterizations of these strains indicated continuing circulation of a subtype IE genotype, which was isolated from equines during the recent VEE outbreaks. These data indicate long-term enzootic and endemic VEEV circulation in the region and continued risk for disease in equines and humans.     

Natural enzootic vectors of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus,Magdalena Valley,Colombia

To characterize the transmission cycle of enzootic Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) strains believed to represent an epizootic progenitor, we identified natural vectors in a sylvatic focus in the middle Magdalena Valley of Colombia. Hamster-baited traps were placed into an active forest focus, and mosquitoes collected from each trap in which a hamster became infected were sorted by species and assayed for virus. In 18 cases, a single, initial, high-titered mosquito pool representing the vector species was identified. These vectors included Culex (Melanoconion) vomerifer (11 transmission events), Cx. (Mel.) pedroi (5 transmissions) and Cx. (Mel.) adamesi (2 transmissions). These results extend the number of proven enzootic VEEV vectors to 7, all of which are members of the Spissipes section of the subgenus Melanoconion. Our findings contrast with previous studies, which have indicated that a single species usually serves as the principal enzootic VEEV vector at a given location.     

Experimental Everglades virus infection of cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus)

Everglades virus (EVEV), an alphavirus in the Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) serocomplex, circulates among rodents and vector mosquitoes and infects humans, causing a febrile disease sometimes accompanied by neurologic manifestations. EVEV circulates near metropolitan Miami, which indicates the potential for substantial human disease, should outbreaks arise. We characterized EVEV infection of cotton rats in South Florida, USA, to validate their role in enzootic transmission. To evaluate whether the viremia induced in cotton rat populations regulates EVEV distribution, we also infected rats from a non-EVEV-endemic area. Viremia levels developed in rats from both localities that exceeded the threshold for infection of the vector. Most animals survived infection with no signs of illness, despite virus invasion of the brain and the development of mild encephalitis. Understanding the mechanisms by which EVEV-infected cotton rats resist clinical disease may be useful in developing VEE therapeutics for equines and humans.     

Endemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis in northern Peru

Since Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) was isolated in Peru in 1942, >70 isolates have been obtained from mosquitoes, humans, and sylvatic mammals primarily in the Amazon region. To investigate genetic relationships among the Peru VEEV isolates and between the Peru isolates and other VEEV strains, a fragment of the PE2 gene was amplified and analyzed by single-stranded conformation polymorphism. Representatives of seven genotypes underwent sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The results identified four VEE complex lineages that cocirculate in the Amazon region: subtypes ID (Panama and Colombia/Venezuela genotypes), IIIC, and a new, proposed subtype IIID, which was isolated from a febrile human, mosquitoes, and spiny rats. Both ID lineages and the IIID subtype are associated with febrile human illness. Most of the subtype ID isolates belonged to the Panama genotype, but the Colombia/Venezuela genotype, which is phylogenetically related to epizootic strains, also continues to circulate in the Amazon basin.     

浙江省蚊媒携带流行性乙型脑炎病毒的分布特点

目的 了解浙江部分地区蚊媒及猪携带流行性乙型脑炎(乙脑)病毒情况以及浙江省存在的乙脑病毒基因型别.方法 于2007年5月至10月在浙江省仙居、龙泉和慈溪3个县人房及猪舍采集蚊虫标本和猪血清,共采集10 662只蚊虫和204份猪血清,蚊虫标本中以淡色库蚊和中华按蚊为主.利用病毒分离和荧光定量逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)方法检测蚊虫携带乙脑病毒,应用酶联接免疫吸附剂测定(ELISA)方法对猪血清进行抗体检测.应用荧光定量RT-PCR方法对细胞分离株进行病毒鉴定;利用RT-PCR方法扩增新分离乙脑病毒PrM基因,并对细胞分离到的病毒进行基因分型.结果 在蚊虫标本中检出7批乙脑病毒核酸阳性样本,并分离出3株病毒,经鉴定3株病毒均为乙脑病毒,基因分析表明3株病毒均属于基因Ⅰ型乙脑病毒.猪血清有121份阳性,总阳性率为59.3%.6月份有50%以上的猪血清中乙脑病毒抗体呈阳性.结论 浙江省部分地区存在着乙脑的传播媒介,在蚊媒和猪中携带有乙脑病毒;采集的蚊虫标本中分离到3株病毒,经鉴定为基因Ⅰ型乙脑病毒,是近年来在浙江省首次分离到的基因Ⅰ型乙脑病毒.     

Equine amplification and virulence of subtype IE Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses isolated during the 1993 and 1996 Mexican epizootics

To assess the role of horses as amplification hosts during the 1993 and 1996 Mexican Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epizootics, we subcutaneously infected 10 horses by using four different equine isolates. Most horses showed little or no disease and low or nonexistent viremia. Neurologic disease developed in only 1 horse, and brain histopathologic examination showed meningeal lymphocytic infiltration, perivascular cuffing, and focal encephalitis. Three animals showed mild meningoencephalitis without clinical disease. Viral RNA was detected in the brain of several animals 12-14 days after infection. These data suggest that the duration and scope of the recent Mexican epizootics were limited by lack of equine amplification characteristic of previous, more extensive VEE outbreaks. The Mexican epizootics may have resulted from the circulation of a more equine-neurotropic, subtype IE virus strain or from increased transmission to horses due to amplification by other vertebrate hosts or transmission by more competent mosquito vectors.     

Sindbis virus infection in resident birds, migratory birds, and humans, Finland

Sindbis virus (SINV), a mosquito-borne virus that causes rash and arthritis, has been causing outbreaks in humans every seventh year in northern Europe. To gain a better understanding of SINV epidemiology in Finland, we searched for SINV antibodies in 621 resident grouse, whose population declines have coincided with human SINV outbreaks, and in 836 migratory birds. We used hemagglutination-inhibition and neutralization tests for the bird samples and enzyme immunoassays and hemagglutination-inhibition for the human samples. SINV antibodies were first found in 3 birds (red-backed shrike, robin, song thrush) during their spring migration to northern Europe. Of the grouse, 27.4% were seropositive in 2003 (1 year after a human outbreak), but only 1.4% were seropositive in 2004. Among 2,529 persons, the age-standardized seroprevalence (1999-2003) was 5.2%; seroprevalence and incidence (1995-2003) were highest in North Karelia (eastern Finland). Grouse may contribute to the epidemiology of SINV in humans.     

Novel chikungunya virus variant in travelers returning from Indian Ocean islands

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in Indian Ocean islands in 2005 and is causing an ongoing outbreak that involves >260,000 patients, including travelers returning home from these islands. We investigated cases in 4 patients returning from Mayotte and Reunion Islands with CHIKV infection and a nurse infected in metropolitan France after direct contact with the blood of a traveler. Four patients had tenosynovitis and pain at wrist pressure, and 1 had life-threatening manifestations. Four CHIKV strains were isolated, including 1 from the patient with the autochthonous case. The complete genomic sequence identified a new CHIKV variant emerging from the East/ central African evolutionary lineage. Aedes albopictus, the implicated vector of CHIKV in Indian Ocean islands, has dispersed worldwide in recent decades. High viral loads in patients returning from Indian Ocean islands to countries where Ae. albopictus is prevalent may be a source of epidemics.     

Novel DNA-launched Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vaccine with rearranged genome

Novel live-attenuated V4020 vaccine was prepared for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), an alphavirus from the Togaviridae family. The genome of V4020 virus was rearranged, with the capsid gene expressed using a duplicate subgenomic promoter downstream from the glycoprotein genes. V4020 also included both attenuating mutations from the TC83 VEEV vaccine secured by mutagenesis to prevent reversion mutations. The full-length infectious RNA of V4020 vaccine virus was expressed from pMG4020 plasmid downstream from the CMV promoter and launched replication of live-attenuated V4020 in vitro or in vivo. BALB/c mice vaccinated with a single dose of V4020 virus or with pMG4020 plasmid had no adverse reactions to vaccinations and developed high titers of neutralizing antibodies. After challenge with the wild type VEEV, vaccinated mice survived with no morbidity, while all unvaccinated controls succumbed to lethal infection. Intracranial injections in mice showed attenuated replication of V4020 vaccine virus as compared to the TC83. We conclude that V4020 vaccine has safety advantage over TC83, while provides equivalent protection in a mouse VEEV challenge model.     

福建省2005-2009年流行性乙型脑炎流行病学分析

目的了解福建省2005-2009年流行性乙型脑炎（乙脑）流行病学特征,为制定福建省乙脑监测及控制策略提供依据。方法对2005-2009年福建省乙脑疫情报告资料进行回顾性分析。结果福建省2005-2009年共报告174例乙脑病例,年均发病率0.0980/10万。历年发病率均低于全国同期水平。174例病例发生在除厦门市外的8个地市、57个县。7月份为发病高峰,占总病例的64.94%,其次为6月和8月。83.33%的病例集中在15岁以下儿童,在131例有调查资料的病例中,50.38%无免疫史。结论福建省自2004年将乙脑疫苗纳入儿童计划免疫后,乙脑发病率处于低发水平,控制效果较为显著。在乙脑高发地区必须进一步制定强有力的措施提高乙脑疫苗接种的及时率和全程接种率。     

Genetic and evolutionary characterization of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus isolates from Argentina

Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV) are emerging pathogens of medical and veterinary importance circulating in America. Argentina is a country free from epizootic VEEV activity, with circulation of enzootic strains belonging to Rio Negro virus (RNV; VEEV subtype VI) and Pixuna virus (PIXV, VEEV subtype IV). In this work, we aim to report the sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of all Argentinean VEE viruses, including 7 strains previously isolated from mosquitoes in 1980, 5 sequences obtained from rodents in 1991 and 11 sequences amplified from mosquitoes between 2003 and 2005. Two genomic regions, corresponding to the non-structural protein 4 (nsP4) and the protein E3/E2 (PE2) genes were analyzed, but only 8 samples could be amplified in the last one (longer and more variable fragment of 702 bp). For both genomic fragments, phylogenetic trees showed the absence of lineages within RNV group, and a close genetic relationship between Argentinean strains and the prototype strain BeAr35645 for PIXV clade. The analysis of nsP4 gene opens the possibility to propose a possible geographic clustering of strains within PIXV group (Argentina and Brazil). Coalescent analysis performed on RNV sequences suggested a common ancestor of 58.3 years (with a 95% highest posterior density [HPD] interval of 16.4–345.7) prior to 1991 and inferred a substitution rate of 9.8 × 10⁻⁵ substitutions/site/year, slightly lower than other enzootic VEE viruses. These results provide, for the first time, information about genetic features and variability of all VEEVs detected in Argentina, creating a database that will be useful for future detections in our country. This is particularly important for RNV, which has indigenous circulation.     

CD4 T cells provide protection against acute lethal encephalitis caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

Studying the mechanisms of host survival resulting from viral encephalitis is critical to the development of vaccines. Here we have shown in several independent studies that high dose treatment with neutralizing antibody prior to intranasal infection with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus had an antiviral effect in the visceral organs and prolonged survival time of infected mice, even in the absence of αβ T cells. Nevertheless, antibody treatment did not prevent the development of lethal encephalitis. On the contrary, the adoptive transfer of primed CD4⁺ T cells was necessary to prevent lethal encephalitis in mice lacking αβ T cell receptor.     

Environmental hazard assessment of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vaccine candidate strain V3526

A hazard assessment of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus sub-types and vaccine candidates was performed according to standard risk assessment procedures. Data from published literature demonstrates a considerable degree of safety of V3526 when compared to TC-83 vaccine, the protective measure that has been used to protect laboratory workers for over four decades. V3526 is a new recombinant vaccine candidate that is a vastly different product with a diminished hazard to public health and the general environment. A weight-of-evidence (WOE)-based scheme was employed to assign weights for relevance, quality, and adequacy of evidence in published literature on medical pathology, epidemiology, pre-clinical investigational studies, and environmental studies. The results of this assessment indicated that V3526 has a low adverse impact on public health and the general environment. Although there are currently no human infectivity or pathogenicity data for V3526, existing evidence from published experimental animal studies reveals a diminished hazard for environmental transmission and distribution. Recently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) excluded V3526 from select agent requirements set forth under the Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations in Title 42 C.F.R. Part 73 and the US Department Agriculture (USDA) regulations set forth in Title 7 C.F.R. Part 331 and Title 9 C.F.R. Part 121. This paper summarizes the background, rationale, and hazard analysis used for assessing the environmental hazard of the VEE vaccine candidate strain V3526.     

Humanization and mammalian expression of a murine monoclonal antibody against Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

The murine monoclonal antibody 1A4A1 can strongly neutralize Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and is a good candidate for development of humanized antibody. Humanization of 1A4A1 variable domains was achieved by grafting 1A4A1 complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) onto the frameworks of human immunoglobulin germline variable and joining gene segments, whose CDRs have the highest similarities to 1A4A1 ones. The humanized 1A4A1 variable domains were further grafted onto human heavy and light chain constant domains to assemble the whole antibody gene, which was then synthesized and cloned to an adenoviral vector. After expression in HEK 293 cells and purification by protein L column, the humanized antibody was demonstrated to retain antigen-binding specificity and neutralizing activity.