Zika virus in Gabon (Central Africa) - 2007: a new threat from Aedes albopictus?
Autor(es): Grard, Gilda; Caron, Mélanie; Mombo, Illich Manfred; Nkoghe, Dieudonné; Ondo, Statiana Mboui; Jiolle, Davy; Fontenille, Didier; Paupy, Christophe; Leroy, Eric Maurice
Resumo: Not previously considered an important human arboviral pathogen, the epidemic capacity of Zika virus (ZIKV, a dengue-related flavivirus) was revealed by the Micronesia outbreak in 2007, which affected about 5000 persons. Widely distributed throughout tropical areas of Asia and Africa, ZIKV is transmitted by a broad range of mosquito species, most of which are sylvatic or rural, Aedes aegypti, an anthropophilic and urban species, being considered the main ZIKV epidemic vector. In a context of emerging arbovirus infections (chikungunya (CHIKV) and dengue (DENV)) in Gabon since 2007, we conducted a retrospective study to detect other, related viruses. In samples collected during the concurrent CHIKV/DENV outbreaks that occurred in the capital city in 2007, we detected ZIKV in both humans and mosquitoes, and notably the Asian mosquito Aedes albopictus that recently invaded the country and was the main vector responsible for these outbreaks. We found that the Gabonese ZIKV strain belonged to the African lineage, and phylogenetic analysis suggested ancestral diversification and spread rather than recent introduction. These findings, showing for the first time epidemic ZIKV activity in an urban environment in Central Africa and the presence of ZIKV in the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus, raise the possibility of a new emerging threat to human health.
Palavras-Chave: Mosquitoes; Zika virus; Mutation; Infections; Phylogenetics; Flavivirus - Classification; Flavivirus - Genetics, Animals; Gabon; Humans; Phylogeny, Aedes - Virology; Communicable Diseases, Emerging - Virology; Flavivirus - Isolation and purification
Imprenta: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 8, n. 2, 2014.
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Biochemistry ; Aedes aegypti - Virus ; Aedes aegypti - Transmission ; Aedes aegypti - Dengue ; Aedes aegypti - Public health ; Aedes aegypti - Epidemic
Data de publicação: 2014
