Outbreak of Oropouche Virus in French Guiana

Abstract

Oropouche fever is a zoonotic dengue-like syndrome caused by Oropouche virus. In August–September 2020, dengue-like syndrome developed in 41 patients in a remote rainforest village in French Guiana. By PCR or microneutralization, 23 (82.1%) of 28 tested patients were positive for Oropouche virus, documenting its emergence in French Guiana.

The search for an antiviral lead molecule to combat the neglected emerging Oropouche virus

“…No antiviral therapies or vaccines are currently approved for the treatment or prevention of OROV. The successive OROV outbreaks in South America ( Mourão et al, 2009 ; Romero-Alvarez and Escobar, 2018 , 2017 ; Sakkas et al, 2018 ), the latest being in French Guiana ( Gaillet et al, 2021 ), have highlighted the urgent need for such medical countermeasures. Here, we report that Wedelolactone (7‑methoxy 5,11,12-trihydroxy-coumestan), a natural coumestan derived from Eclipta prostrata with known medical properties such as hepatoprotective ( Qingqiong et al, 2018 ; Xia et al, 2013 ; Zhao et al, 2015 ), antivenom ( Melo et al, 2010 ; Melo and Ownby, 1999 ), anti-cancer ( Hsieh et al, 2015 ; Sarveswaran et al, 2016 , 2012 ), antioxidant ( Li et al, 2020 ; Mao-mao et al, 2019 ), anti-inflammatory ( Mao-mao et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2013 ), anti-diabetics ( Shahab and Ahmad, 2018 ), and also neuro, cardio and osteoprotective ( Liu et al, 2016 ; Peng et al, 2017 ; Sharma et al, 2021 ).…”

An Overview of Neglected Orthobunyaviruses in Brazil

“…This was likely related to the environmental impact associated with the large concentration of immunologically naïve workers coming from the northeast region of Brazil to the construction zone; in the following year, OROV caused a large epidemic of Oropouche fever in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará, with an estimated 11,000 people affected. With that outbreak, OROV demonstrated its epidemic potential and many other outbreaks have been described subsequently in urban areas in the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Pará, Rondônia and Tocantins [ 64 , 65 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 ]. The incubation period of OROV ranges from three to eight days and can result in sudden acute febrile illness accompanied in most cases by headache, myalgia, arthralgia, exanthema and photophobia [ 63 , 113 ].…”

“…According to clinical and epidemiological aspects, OROV is the most studied orthobunyavirus in Brazil. Epidemics caused by OROV have been reported since the 1960s mostly in rural areas of the Amazon region [ 64 , 65 ]. However, in recent years, OROV spread has been increasingly evidenced in other regions of the country.…”

The Adaptive Immune Response against Bunyavirales

“…Creating an ideal Bunyavirales vaccine is a complex process that involves various other considerations. Bunyavirales outbreaks are infrequent; however, when they do occur, they do so most often in resource-limited regions [ 286 , 287 , 288 , 289 ]. This phenomenon has resulted in a lack of emphasis on bridging the gaps necessary to develop vaccines against these viruses.…”