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Molecular evidence of Orthopoxvirus DNA in capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) stool samples

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Abstract

Vaccinia virus (VACV) is responsible for outbreaks in Brazil and has immense potential as an emerging virus. VACV can be found naturally circulating in India, Pakistan and South America, where it causes infections characterised by exanthematic lesions in buffaloes, cattle and humans. The transmission cycle of Brazilian VACV has still not been fully characterised; one of the most important gaps in knowledge being the role of wild animals. Capybaras, which are restricted to the Americas, are the world’s largest rodents and have peculiar characteristics that make them possible candidates for being part of a natural VACV reservoir. Here, we developed a method for detecting orthopoxvirus DNA in capybara stool samples, and have described for the first time the detection of orthopoxvirus DNA in capybaras samples from three different regions in Brazil. These findings strongly suggest that capybaras might be involved in the natural transmission cycle of VACV and furthermore represent a public health problem, when associated with Brazilian bovine vaccinia outbreaks. This makes infected animals an important factor to be considered when predicting and managing Brazilian VACV outbreaks.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants from Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisado Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). From April, 2016 onwards LALD was funded by European Research Council (ERC) [EU FP7/2007-2013 (Micro-RIP 2014-2019, project #615146)]. From March 2016 onwards GMFA was funded by the Finnish Centre of Excellence Program of the Academy of Finland (CoE in Biological Interactions 2012–2017, project #252411). We would like to thank Ana Paula Moreira for obtaining the samples from Pantanal and Juliano Leal de Paula from Núcleo de Análise de Genoma e Expressão Gênica (NAGE)-Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia (ICB—UFMG). GST, JSA and EGK are researchers from CNPq.

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Author notes

  1. Lara Ambrosio Leal Dutra & Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida

    Present address: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antonio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil

    Lara Ambrosio Leal Dutra, Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida, Graziele Pereira Oliveira, Jônatas Santos Abrahão, Erna Geessien Kroon & Giliane de Souza Trindade

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  1. Lara Ambrosio Leal Dutra
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  2. Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida
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Correspondence to Giliane de Souza Trindade.

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L. A. L. Dutra and G. M. de Freitas Almeida contributed equally to this work.

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Dutra, L.A.L., de Freitas Almeida, G.M., Oliveira, G.P. et al. Molecular evidence of Orthopoxvirus DNA in capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) stool samples. Arch Virol 162, 439–448 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-016-3121-3

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