Alternative Routes of Zoonotic Vaccinia Virus Transmission, Brazil

Costa, Galileu Barbosa; Borges, Isabela Nascimento; Alves, Pedro Augusto; Miranda, Júlia Bahia; Luiz, Ana Paula; Ferreira, Paulo César Peregrino; Abrahão, Jônatas Santos; Moreno, Elizabeth Castro; Kroon, Erna Geessien; Trindade, Giliane de Souza

doi:10.3201/eid2112.141249

Cited by 13 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Also, it is important to highlight that all seropositive non vaccinated individuals did not present any sign of VACV infection or report to have been infected previously. This finding reinforces the possibility of the existence of alternative VACV infection routes other than the direct contact with infected cattle [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…As in this study we found that 42.9 % of true vaccinees (33/77) are seronegative, we cannot assume that immunity is as long lasting as showed elsewhere [ 4 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 30 ]. Almost half of individuals in this category are seronegative and, indeed, neutralizing antibodies may have been maintained in the seropositive vaccinated individuals by continuous OPV exposure, since the studied region is endemic for BV [ 32 – 34 ]. In addition, in the studied community, the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies among the non-vaccinated individuals was 6.1 % (using the cut-off of age >35 years old) or 18.4 %, if the absence of a vaccine take was used to identify the non-vaccinated individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence of Orthopoxvirus in rural Brazil: insights into anti-OPV immunity status and its implications for emergent zoonotic OPV

Costa

Augusto²,

Leite

et al. 2016

Virol J

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BackgroundBovine vaccinia (BV) is a zoonosis caused by Vaccinia virus, a virus from Orthopoxvirus genus (OPV) that affects mainly cattle herds and humans in rural areas in Brazil. Because most studies have focused on outbreaks situations, data on BV epidemiology is limited. A cross sectional study in Brazilian rural areas during 2012–2013 was conducted to determine the neutralizing antibodies seroprevalence and risk factors for BV.MethodsA structured questionnaire was applied to elicit demographics data and farming practices considered risk factors for BV exposure. Neutralizing anti-OPV antibodies were investigated using plaque reduction neutralization test. The neutralizing antibodies prevalence rates were calculated and the risk factor analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsTwo hundred and forty participants were enrolled in this study with a prevalence of neutralizing antibodies of 30.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 25.3–36.9). In multivariate analysis, age > 35 years (Odds Ratio [OR] = 18.2; CI 95 % = 7.7 – 43.2) and previous outbreak in property (OR = 3.9; C I95 % = 1.2 – 12.6) were independently associated with anti-OPV neutralizing antibodies.ConclusionsIn this study, anti-OPV protective immunity (neutralizing antibody titers) was assessed in an endemic BV Brazilian rural area. Our findings indicate that epidemiological surveillance is required and should be applied by public health authorities to create interventions and/or prevention strategies to avoid viral spread causing future outbreaks among individuals who are under risk of infection.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Orthopoxvirus in rural Brazil: insights into anti-OPV immunity status and its implications for emergent zoonotic OPV

Costa

Augusto²,

Leite

et al. 2016

Virol J

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“…There is currently no evidence that milk contaminated with VACV particles can cause disease, that is, lesions on the mouth. Furthermore, there are no studies demonstrating the presence of anti-VACV antibodies in people who ingested raw milk and cheese but did not handle infected dairy cattle [ 92 , 93 ]. As a consequence, the small properties that depend exclusively on the dairy economy as the main source of income are largely affected.…”

Section: The Bad: the Economic And Public Health Burden Associatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incidence and prevalence of VACV infections are poorly studied in Brazil. Recently, Costa and colleagues detected neutralizing antibodies against OPV at a prevalence of 30.8% in a rural population from an important dairy basin in Minas Gerais state, where several BV outbreaks have been recorded [ 43 , 68 , 93 ]. Although 32.1% of individuals in that study were vaccinated against smallpox, almost 20% of non-vaccinated individuals were exposed to zoonotic VACV infections [ 92 ].…”

Section: The Bad: the Economic And Public Health Burden Associatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vaccinia Virus Natural Infections in Brazil: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Oliveira

Figueiredo

Costa

et al. 2017

Viruses

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The orthopoxviruses (OPV) comprise several emerging viruses with great importance to human and veterinary medicine, including vaccinia virus (VACV), which causes outbreaks of bovine vaccinia (BV) in South America. Historically, VACV is the most comprehensively studied virus, however, its origin and natural hosts remain unknown. VACV was the primary component of the smallpox vaccine, largely used during the smallpox eradication campaign. After smallpox was declared eradicated, the vaccination that conferred immunity to OPV was discontinued, favoring a new contingent of susceptible individuals to OPV. VACV infections occur naturally after direct contact with infected dairy cattle, in recently vaccinated individuals, or through alternative routes of exposure. In Brazil, VACV outbreaks are frequently reported in rural areas, affecting mainly farm animals and humans. Recent studies have shown the role of wildlife in the VACV transmission chain, exploring the role of wild rodents as reservoirs that facilitate VACV spread throughout rural areas. Furthermore, VACV circulation in urban environments and the significance of this with respect to public health, have also been explored. In this review, we discuss the history, epidemiological, ecological and clinical aspects of natural VACV infections in Brazil, also highlighting alternative routes of VACV transmission, the factors involved in susceptibility to infection, and the natural history of the disease in humans and animals, and the potential for dissemination to urban environments.

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“…In addition, remarkable advances in synthetic biology make it possible to de novo construct an Orthopoxvirus , as demonstrated recently with Horsepox virus [ 3 ], which increases the likelihood that VARV can be reconstructed for use in bioterrorist attacks. This fact, in combination with the increase in the rate of human infection with zoonotic orthopoxviruses observed recently [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], reinforces the importance of developing state-of-the-art methods for rapid and reliable, species-level identification of orthopoxviruses, designing safer smallpox vaccines, and characterizing antiviral chemotherapeutics addressed to different molecular targets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Are We Prepared in Case of a Possible Smallpox-Like Disease Emergence?

Olson

Щелкунов

2017

Viruses

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Smallpox was the first human disease to be eradicated, through a concerted vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization. Since its eradication, routine vaccination against smallpox has ceased, leaving the world population susceptible to disease caused by orthopoxviruses. In recent decades, reports of human disease from zoonotic orthopoxviruses have increased. Furthermore, multiple reports of newly identified poxviruses capable of causing human disease have occurred. These facts raise concerns regarding both the opportunity for these zoonotic orthopoxviruses to evolve and become a more severe public health issue, as well as the risk of Variola virus (the causative agent of smallpox) to be utilized as a bioterrorist weapon. The eradication of smallpox occurred prior to the development of the majority of modern virological and molecular biological techniques. Therefore, there is a considerable amount that is not understood regarding how this solely human pathogen interacts with its host. This paper briefly recounts the history and current status of diagnostic tools, vaccines, and anti-viral therapeutics for treatment of smallpox disease. The authors discuss the importance of further research to prepare the global community should a smallpox-like virus emerge.

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Alternative Routes of Zoonotic Vaccinia Virus Transmission, Brazil

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

Seroprevalence of Orthopoxvirus in rural Brazil: insights into anti-OPV immunity status and its implications for emergent zoonotic OPV

Seroprevalence of Orthopoxvirus in rural Brazil: insights into anti-OPV immunity status and its implications for emergent zoonotic OPV

Vaccinia Virus Natural Infections in Brazil: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Are We Prepared in Case of a Possible Smallpox-Like Disease Emergence?

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