In-depth study of the Mayaro Virus replication cycle

• Grant number: 21/13615-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: July 02, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Lacerda Nogueira
• Grantee: Paulo Victor de Miranda Boratto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One of the most realistic epidemiological scenarios for the near future is the possible emergence of newly circulating viral lineages of great potential to become epidemically relevant. Although this concern was once again brought to light with the emergence of another sample of a pandemic coronavirus, in 2015 many historically neglected arboviruses also came to be the target of great attention from the scientific community due to the serious outbreaks caused by the Zika Virus (ZIKV) on that year. Deforestation and global climate change also seem to be very important as they lead to a considerable expansion of the mosquito vector population to geographical areas of intense urban presence. Amidst the diseases caused by arboviruses of recent prominence we can mention the so-called Mayaro Fever, caused by an Alphavirus called Mayaro Virus (MAYV) and which in recent years has had its presence detected in several isolation or serological studies carried out in South America, Central America and Caribbean. The Mayaro Fever is characterized as an acute febrile illness that can cause a severe and debilitating process of arthralgia, very similar to what occurs for other arboviral diseases (e.g., Chikungunya Fever). Notwithstanding, studies on the biology of these viruses are extremely scarce, and their knowledge is generally based on the information we have on other described Alphaviruses. With the absence of a licensed vaccine or clinically effective drugs against MAYV, understanding the multiplication cycle of this microorganism becomes a key point for this process. Thus, in this work we aim to describe and fully characterize the MAYV replication cycle using two different cell lines, BHK-21 (representing the mammalian host) and C6/36 (representing the invertebrate vector). (AU)