Flavivirus and Alphavirus identification in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in green spaces of the city of São Paulo

• Grant number: 16/18204-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Licia Natal Fernandes
• Grantee: Thaís de Moura Coletti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMT). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The city of São Paulo is in a highly urbanized area with over eleven million inhabitants. The parks in the city are the main green spaces and are used for recreational purposes. Vertebrates such as birds and rodents act as amplifying hosts for arboviruses in these parks, and mosquitoes (Culicidae) that can be vectors of some arboviruses, in particular members of the genera Culex and Aedes, are also found there. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that all the elements required for the Flavivirus transmission cycle can be found in parks in the city of São Paulo. Flavivirus surveillance was recommended in these areas in previous studies carried out in parks in the city of São Paulo. Besides, there is no information on Alphavirus circulation in these localities and there are many parks that were not included in any study yet, such as Burle Marx and Previdência. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the presence of Flavivirus and Alphavirus in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) previously collected in two parks: Burle Marx and Previdência. Monthly collections were carried out in each park from August 2012 to July 2013. The following techniques were used to collect mosquitoes: Nasci aspirator, Shannon and CDC-CO2. The mosquitoes were then transported in dry ice to the laboratory and identified in a chilled table. Up to 10 non-engorged females were grouped in pools according to their taxonomic category, place and date of collection. A total of 2,142 mosquitoes (314 pools) were collected. These are stored in a -80°C freezer and will be submitted to nucleic acids extraction and reverse transcription. After that, samples will be screened for Flavivirus and Alphavirus by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Phylogenetic analyses will be performed with the nucleotide sequences obtained from positive samples. Thus, we intend to contribute with information about existence, distribution and frequency of flaviviruses and alphaviruses in mosquitoes in the city of São Paulo and raise epidemiological data in order to help to prevent transmission of arbovirus to man. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FERNANDES, LICIA NATAL; COLETTI, THAIS DE MOURA; COSTA MONTEIRO, FRED JULIO; DA SILVA REGO, MARLISSON OCTAVIO; D'ATHAIDE RIBEIRO, EDCELHA SOARES; RIBEIRO, GEOVANI DE OLIVEIRA; SOUZA MARINHO, ROBSON DOS SANTOS; KOMNINAKIS, SHIRLEY VASCONCELOS; WITKIN, STEVEN S.; DENG, XUTAO; et al. A Novel Highly Divergent Strain of Cell Fusing Agent Virus (CFAV) in Mosquitoes from the Brazilian Amazon Region. Viruses-Basel, v. 10, n. 12, DEC 2018. (16/18204-0, 16/01735-2, 17/00021-9)

THAÍS DE MOURA COLETTI; CAMILA MALTA ROMANO; PAULO ROBERTO URBINATTI; RENILDO SOUZA TEIXEIRA; LEILA WEISS DE ALMEIDA PEDROSA; MARCELLO SCHIAVO NARDI; DELSIO NATAL; ANTÔNIO CHARLYS DA COSTA; JAQUELINE GOES DE JESUS; INGRA MORALES CLARO; et al. Characterization of insect-specific Culex flavivirus (Flaviviridae) nucleotide sequences in mosquitoes from urban parks in São Paulo, Brazil. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, v. 55, 2022-09-26. (17/00021-9, 18/17176-8, 19/03859-9, 18/14389-0, 16/18204-0, 19/12000-1, 10/51230-8)