INVESTIGATION OF HERPESVIRUSES IN NEOTROPICAL MARSUPIALS IN THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO.

• Grant number: 25/02326-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Mariotti Guerra
• Grantee: Bia Naiara Cordeiro Xavier
• Host Institution: Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL). Coordenadoria de Controle de Doenças (CCD). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Herpesviridae family consists of enveloped DNA viruses and is divided into three subfamilies: Alphaherpesvirinae, Betaherpesvirinae, and Gammaherpesvirinae. Marsupials of the genus Didelphis are widely distributed throughout Brazil, also inhabiting large urban centers, where, through close interaction with humans, they have become synanthropic animals, acting as reservoirs for diseases, some with zoonotic potential. Understanding the conditions affecting marsupials is crucial for the epidemiological surveillance of wildlife, focusing on species conservation, as well as promoting public health by aiding in the establishment of biosafety protocols. In the present study, cases of marsupials received at the Pathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute will be selected and subsequently subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing for the detection of viruses from the family Herpesviridae. The results will be correlated with the lesions observed in histopathological examination, along with clinical and epidemiological information. The findings will contribute to the understanding of herpesvirus infection, with implications for public health and the conservation of marsupials in the Brazilian fauna.