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First genome sequence of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) isolated from a human in Brazil

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Abstract

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), a member of the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, is a causative agent of encephalitis in the Americas. In Brazil, sporadic cases of SLEV infection have been reported since 1953, but the first outbreak of SLEV in Brazil was identified only in 2007, concomitant with an outbreak of dengue virus (DENV) serotype 3. This finding, along with other reports, indicates that SLEV circulation in Brazil is largely unknown, and there may be epidemiological implications of the co-circulation of SLEV, DENV and other flaviviruses in Brazil. Here, we describe the first complete genome sequence of an SLEV strain isolated from a human patient in Brazil, strain BeH 355964. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine the genotype of BeH 355964 using the full-length genome and envelope (E) gene sequences separately. Both analyses showed that BeH 355964 could be classified as genotype V. Although the number of single gene sequences available is greater (such as for the E gene), the phylogenetic tree based on the complete genome sequence was better supported and provided further information about the virus.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support to MLN by FAPESP (Grant No. 2012/11733-6) CAPES and CNPq.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 5416, Bloco U6-Vila São Pedro, CEP: 15090-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil

    Danila Vedovello, Eliane Aparecida Fávaro, Ana Carolina Bernardes Terzian & Maurício Lacerda Nogueira

  2. Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Betânia Paiva Drumond

  3. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Rafael Elias Marques & Mauro Martins Teixeira

  4. Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil

    Leila Sabrina Ullmann & João Pessoa Araújo Junior

  5. Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

    Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo

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  1. Danila Vedovello
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  2. Betânia Paiva Drumond
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Correspondence to Maurício Lacerda Nogueira.

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Vedovello, D., Drumond, B.P., Marques, R.E. et al. First genome sequence of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) isolated from a human in Brazil. Arch Virol 160, 1189–1195 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-015-2378-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-015-2378-2

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