This report describes the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological findings on 27 cases of Mayaro virus (MV) disease, an emerging mosquito-borne viral illness that is endemic in rural areas of tropical South America. MV disease is a nonfatal, dengue-like illness characterized by fever, chills, headache, eye pain, generalized myalgia, arthralgia, diarrhea, vomiting, and rash of 3-5 days' duration. Severe joint pain is a prominent feature of this illness; the arthralgia sometimes persists for months and can be quite incapacitating. Cases of two visitors from the United States, who developed MV disease during visits to eastern Peru, are reported. MV disease and dengue are difficult to differentiate clinically.

Mayaro and Una viruses (MAYV, UNAV) are mosquito-borne alphaviruses that may cause an acute febrile illness characterized by headache, retro-orbital pain, and rash that may progress to a severe and prolonged arthralgia. MAYV was first isolated in Trinidad in 1954, and UNAV was first identified in northern Brazil in 1959. Since then, numerous isolates of these agents have been made from humans, wild vertebrates, and mosquitoes in several countries in northern South America. Serological evidence suggests that these viruses are also present in portions of Central America. Because little is known about the natural transmission cycle of MAYV and virtually nothing is known about UNAV transmission, 63 isolates covering the known geographic and temporal ranges were used in phylogenetic analyses to aid in understanding the molecular epidemiology. Approximately 2 kb from the E1 and E2 glycoprotein genes and the complete 3' non-coding region were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences indicated that two distinct genotypes of MAYV exist with a distinct clade consisting exclusively of UNAV (previously designated as a subtype of MAYV). One MAYV genotype (genotype D) contains isolates from Trinidad and the northcentral portion of South America including Peru, French Guiana, Surinam, Brazil, and Bolivia. All of these isolates are highly conserved with a nucleotide divergence of < 6%. The second MAYV genotype (genotype L) contains isolates only from Brazil that are highly conserved (< 4% nucleotide divergence) but are quite distinct (15-19%) from the first genotype isolates. These analyses provide possible explanations for the natural ecology and transmission of MAYV and UNAV.

This paper reports the first isolation of Mayaro (MAY) virus from a patient infected in French Guiana. The identification was initially performed using immunofluorescent antibody testing with specific mouse antibody, and confirmed by plaque-reduction neutralization testing and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. To determine if MAY virus infection is widespread in French Guiana, a serosurvey was performed to determine the prevalence of antibody to this virus in various ethnic groups and areas of French Guiana. Human sera (n ϭ 1,962) were screened using the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. To determine whether MAY virus circulates in the rain forest, a serosurvey in monkey populations was performed. Monkey sera (n ϭ 150) were also screened for antibody to MAY virus using HI testing. Of the human sera tested, 6.3 % were positive for anti-MAY virus antibodies. Significant differences in MAY virus seroprevalence between different age groups were observed. Seroprevalence rates increased with age, with a large increase in people 10-19 years of age in comparison with those less than 10 years of age. After adjustment for age, significant differences were also found between places of residence. The prevalence of anti-MAY virus antibody was higher in people living in contact with the forest, especially in the Haut Oyapock area (odds ratio [OR] ϭ 97.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] ϭ 48.2-197.9) and along the Maroni River (OR ϭ 39.7, 95% CI ϭ 20.6-76.6). The ethnic differences observed in this study were probably due to differences in residence. Among monkeys, higher seroprevalence rates were found in Alouatta seniculus (66.0%) than in Saguinus midas (18.2%). Among Alouatta, the seroprevalence increased significantly with weight (and therefore with age). This study indicates that MAY virus is present in French Guiana, and human infections occur in areas where people live near the tropical rain forest.

The complete nucleotide sequences of the envelope gene of 62 geographic isolates of St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus were determined. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences, conducted using both maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining methods, included four other members of the Japanese encephalitis serogroup. The results indicated that the SLE isolates formed a monophyletic group in which isolates generally clustered according to geographic origin. Isolates from Panama and South America predominantly formed two large groupings, while isolates from the U.S. formed two other major groups. Several South and Central American strains were more closely related to strains isolated in the U.S., e.g., one isolate from Mexico and Panama, each, were closely related to two Tampa Bay, Florida, isolates, and an isolate, from Brazil was closely related to three isolates from Texas. The U.S. isolates also were not strictly grouped according to geographic source, e.g., some California isolates were closely related to Texas or midwestern isolates, and a Florida isolate was closely related to three isolates from Maryland. The results of the phylogenetic analyses indicated that SLE virus is predominantly maintained locally, but has been transported occasionally between areas, both within and outside the U.S.

Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes became dually infected after ingesting two mutants of LaCrosse (LAC) virus simultaneously or after ingesting, by interrupted feeding, the two viruses sequentially within a 2-day period. After 2 weeks of incubation, approximately 25 percent of the vectors contained new virus genotypes as the result of RNA segment reassortment. New viruses were transmitted when the mosquitoes fed on mice. Viruses ingested more than 2 days after the initial infecting virus did not cause superinfection of the mosquito vectors.

No abstract

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) has been regularly isolated throughout the Americas since 1933. Previous phylogenetic studies involving 62 isolates have defined seven major lineages (I–VII), further divided into 14 clades. In this study, 28 strains isolated in Texas in 1991 and 2001–2003, and three older, previously unsequenced strains from Jamaica and California were sequenced over the envelope protein gene. The inclusion of these new sequences, and others published since 2001, has allowed better delineation of the previously published SLEV lineages, in particular the clades of lineage II. Phylogenetic analysis of 106 isolates identified 13 clades. All 1991 and 2001–2003 isolates from Nueces, Jefferson and Harris Counties (Texas Gulf Coast) group in clade IIB with other isolates from these counties isolated during the 1980s and 1990s. This lack of evidence for introduction of novel strains into the Texas Gulf Coast over a long period of time is consistent with overwintering of SLEV in this region. Two El Paso isolates, both from 2002, group in clade VA with recent Californian isolates from 1998–2001 and some South American strains with a broad temporal range. Overall, these data are consistent with multiple introductions of SLEV from South America into North America, and provide support for the hypothesis that in most situations, SLEV circulates within a locality, with occasional incursions from other areas. Finally, SLEV has much lower nucleotide (10.1 %) and amino acid variation (2.8 %) than other members of the Japanese encephalitis virus complex (maximum variation 24.6 % nucleotide and 11.8 % amino acid).

Rapid evolution of bunyaviruses may occur by RNA segment reassortment between closely related viruses. Reassortment between viruses occurs in dually infected mosquitoes when two different viruses are simultaneously ingested or when the second virus is ingested within 2 days of the first virus. By 3 days after oral infection, interference to superinfection occurs, thus limiting the potential for evolution. Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes can also be transovarially infected (TIM) with LaCrosse (LAC) virus. In these studies, the potential for oral superinfection of TIM mosquitoes was assessed. Approximately 20 % of mosquitoes TIM with either a temperature-sensitive LAC virus or wild-type (wt) LAC virus became superinfected by ingesting blood meals containing wt LAC or snowshoe hare (SSH) viruses. LAC virus TIM mosquitoes superinfected with SSH virus were detected by blot hybridization or RT-PCR. Viruses from these mosquitoes were plaque purified and genotyped using RT-PCR. Reassortant genomes were detected in 2n3 % of the viruses genotyped, and 4n0 % of the genomes tested were diploid for one genome segment.