Low Aedes aegypti Vector Competence for Zika Virus from Viremic Rhesus Macaques
by Fernandes et al.This paper finds that Ae. aegypti vector competence for ZIKV from macaques is low, likely to be due to low viral load and the short duration of ZIKV viremia in primates suitable for infecting susceptible mosquitoes.
A novel hepatitis B virus species discovered in capuchin monkeys sheds new light on the evolution of primate hepadnaviruses
by Souza et al.Data in this article suggest ancestral co-speciation of hepadnaviruses and NHP, and an Old World origin of the divergent HBV genotypes F/H. The identification of a novel primate hepadnavirus offers new perspectives for urgently needed animal models of chronic hepatitis B.
Evidence for multiple sylvatic transmission cycles during the 2016–2017 yellow fever virus outbreak, Brazil
by Moreira-Soto et al.Since December 2016, Brazil has experienced an unusually large outbreak of yellow fever (YF). Whether urb a n transmission may contribute to the extent of the outbreak is unclear. The objective of this study was to characterize YF virus (YFV) genomes and to identify spatial patterns to determine thedistribution and origin of YF cases in Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, the most affected Brazilian states during the current YFV outbreak.
Limited Evidence for Infection of Urban and Peri-urban Nonhuman Primates with Zika and Chikungunya Viruses in Brazil
by Moreira-Soto et al.The authors of this study tested nonhuman primates (NHP) sampled during 2012 to 2017 in urban and peri-urban areas severely affected by ZIKV and CHIKV in Brazil. Seroprevalence and antibody titers were low for both viruses. Additionally, they found evidence for infection by heterologous viruses eliciting cross-reactive antibodies. These data suggest that urban or peri-urban NHP are not easily infected by ZIKV and CHIKV despite intense local transmission, and they may also imply that the ZIKV and CHIKV outbreaks in the Americas cannot be sustained in urban or peri-urban NHP once human population immunity limits urban transmission cycles.