Molecular characterization of human and animal adenoviruses

• Grant number: 11/52101-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Charlotte Marianna Hársi
• Grantee: Charlotte Marianna Hársi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The viral emergence is a major concern in public health, given the high risk of the new virus dissemination in the populations and the severity of the related illnesses. The anticipation of epidemics, the search and discovery of new viruses that have zoonotic risk, is one of the most important focus of virology. Adenoviruses are viruses that infect animals of different species, from fish to mammals. These viruses coevolved with their hosts, acquiring genetic variability expressed as: recognition of different receptors, different ceil tropism, drug resistance, changes in virulence, escape the host immune response, among others. The aim of this research project is to characterize human and animal adenoviruses through PCR amplification and sequencing of the viral genome. For this project, clinical samples will be collected on patients attending health centers in Sao Paulo and Fortaleza and stool samples will be collected from animals of Brazilian fauna found in the state of Sao Paulo and in the Amazon region The sequences obtained will be compared with sequences deposed in gene banks of public or restricted access at the laboratories mentioned below, with whom we have collaboration. Will be held, also, phylogenetic analysis of the data obtained to search for similarity and evolutionary distances between the viruses found The sub-project Characterization of human adenoviruses will be done in collaboration with Dr. Dean Erdman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The sub-project of Adenovirus in wild animals will be done in collaboration with the group of Dr Balázs Harrach and Dr. Maria Benko, of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. (AU)