Genomic epidemiology unveils the dynamics and spatial corridor behind the Yellow Fever virus outbreak in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Despite the considerable morbidity and mortality of yellow fever virus (YFV) infections in Brazil, our understanding of disease outbreaks is hampered by limited viral genomic data. Here, through a combination of phylogenetic and epidemiological models, we reconstructed the recent transmission history of YFV within different epidemic seasons in Brazil. A suitability index based on the highly domesticated Aedes aegypti was able to capture the seasonality of reported human infections. Spatial modeling revealed spatial hotspots with both past reporting and low vaccination coverage, which coincided with many of the largest urban centers in the Southeast. Phylodynamic analysis unraveled the circulation of three distinct lineages and provided proof of the directionality of a known spatial corridor that connects the endemic North with the extra-Amazonian basin. This study illustrates that genomics linked with eco-epidemiology can provide new insights into the landscape of YFV transmission, augmenting traditional approaches to infectious disease surveillance and control.

Viral sequencing to inform the global elimination of dog-mediated rabies - a systematic review

“…Increasingly, surveillance also involves genetic data, for pathogen diagnosis and risk assessment, as well as to identify the source of outbreaks and to characterise pathogen spread [32] . Linked with locations, pathogen genetic data have uncovered disease movement; from global migration dynamics to local transmission pathways for pathogens such as Influenza virus [33,34] , Ebola virus [35] , Zika virus [36] , Yellow fever virus [37,38] , Mpox virus [39][40][41][42] and SARS-CoV-2 [43] . Sequencing approaches have the potential to enhance rabies surveillance and provide actionable information to inform control programs locally and globally as part of "Zero by 30".…”

Detection of neutralizing antibodies against arboviruses from liver homogenates

“…Since then, YFV has spread into densely populated areas in Southeastern Brazil (Delatorre et al, 2019; Giovanetti et al, 2019; Figueiredo et al, 2020; Rezende et al, 2018; Ministério da Saúde, 2021; Silva et al, 2020), indicating that this region has suitable ecological and climatic conditions for YFV maintenance during the epidemic and interepidemic seasons (Rezende et al, 2018; Sacchetto et al, 2020b; Abreu et al, 2019; Possas et al, 2018). Between July 2014 and June 2023, 2,047 NHPs deaths; 2,289 human cases; and 780 human deaths (with a case fatality rate of 34%) caused by YFV were confirmed in the country (Giovanetti et al, 2023; PAHO, 2022; PAHO, 2023).…”

Ecological Requirements for Abundance and Dispersion of Brazilian Yellow Fever Vectors in Tropical Areas

“…The factors related to the re-emergence and spread of the virus to areas that had for a long time been considered unaffected are still poorly understood, but it is hypothesized that deforestation, habitat fragmentation [14][15][16][17][18] and climate change [15,[19][20][21] may affect the extrinsic incubation period, abundance and vector spatial distribution patterns [15,[22][23][24]. Specifically, infected mosquitoes could be using stepping stones, forest corridors, and/or forest roads to disperse to new areas [17,25,26], where they could find susceptible NHP populations, leading to new WYF outbreaks [6,21,23].…”