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Culicoides paraensis, main vector of Oropouche virus. Culicoides paraensis are midges that maintain the urban cycle of Oropouche virus. Female midges are among the smallest blood-sucking arthropods (~2.5 mm), making difficult their detection, capture, and preservation. Oropouche virus has only been identified in Cu. paraensis from Brazil, while attempts to identify the virus in Cu. paraensis from Peru have remained unsuccessful. Image credit: Maria Luiza Felippe-Bauer, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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... (e.g., hamster-human infection) and field research (e.g., positivity to Oropouche virus during outbreaks) have incriminated the biting midge Cu. paraensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) (Fig. 5) as a main vector of Oropouche virus [16,41,59,65,66]. However, field surveys have shown low probabilities of detection of Oropouche virus in this vector species, and thousands of midges are necessary to achieve virus isolation (ratio of 1:12,500) ...
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... Pathogens are only ascribed to a vertebrate host if there was evidence that a Culicoides species/complex associated with transmission of the pathogen fed on the susceptible host in the identified blood meals. For example, birds and sloths are known to be susceptible to Oropouche virus [60], goats and buffalo to Tibet orbivirus [61], buffalo, antelope, alpaca (camelid), giraffe, crocodile, rhinoceros and rodents to Shuni virus [62,63], rodents, sloths, non-human primates, marsupials, cats, anteaters, shuckand raccoons to Leishmania [64][65][66][67], rodents and non-human primates to mansonella [68], zebra to equine encephalosis virus [69], sheep and goats for Aino virus [70], elephants, giraffe, swine and camelids to bovine ephemeral fever [71], giraffe to Schmallenberg virus [72], birds to Thimiri virus, as well as camelids to Akabane virus [73] and vesicular stomatitis virus [12]. ...
Culicoides biting midges are significant vectors of various pathogens, impacting both human and animal health globally. Understanding their host feeding patterns is crucial for deepening our understanding of disease transmission dynamics and developing effective control strategies. While several studies have identified the sources of blood meals in Culicoides , a quantitative synthesis of their host preferences and the factors influencing these behaviours is lacking. A systematic literature search focused on gathering data on (1) host selection and (2) host preference. For reviewing host selection we focused on studies reporting the identification of blood meal sources in individual Culicoides . When reviewing host preference we focused on studies comparing the number of Culicoides caught on or nearby different host species at the same location. Analysis revealed that some Culicoides species exhibit fixed host preferences, consistently feeding on specific hosts such as cattle and horses, while others display more opportunistic feeding behaviours. Notable variations were observed across different geographic regions. The findings indicate that host availability significantly influences Culicoides feeding patterns. This study highlights the complexity of host selection in Culicoides biting midges, which has implications for disease transmission. The variability in feeding behaviours underscores the need for regional assessments to inform targeted vector control strategies.
... OROV belongs to the Orthobunyavirus oropoucheense species, Peribunyaviridae family, Orthobunyavirus genus, and Simbu serogroup. Its prevalence in the Americas, especially in Central and South America, has made it a potential candidate for epidemics and outbreaks [6]. Despite the knowledge on its epidemiology and geographical distribution and circulation, OROV is still a neglected tropical disease with great potential to cause future epidemics and spillover events in Neotropical areas, especially due to challenges in clinical diagnosis, which depends mostly on commercially unavailable serological assays, and therefore, to this date, no licensed vaccination is available yet [6]. ...
... Its prevalence in the Americas, especially in Central and South America, has made it a potential candidate for epidemics and outbreaks [6]. Despite the knowledge on its epidemiology and geographical distribution and circulation, OROV is still a neglected tropical disease with great potential to cause future epidemics and spillover events in Neotropical areas, especially due to challenges in clinical diagnosis, which depends mostly on commercially unavailable serological assays, and therefore, to this date, no licensed vaccination is available yet [6]. All this still makes the search for antiviral molecules and their effects on viral infection as well as viral elements an important field to develop future antiviral therapies. ...
The Oropouche virus (OROV) is a member of the family Peribunyaviridae (order Bunyavirales) and the cause of a dengue-like febrile illness transmitted mainly by biting midges and mosquitoes. In this study, we aimed to explore acylphloroglucinols and xanthohumol from hops (Humulus lupulus L.) as a promising alternative for antiviral therapies. The evaluation of the inhibitory potential of hops compounds on the viral cycle of OROV was performed through two complementary approaches. The first approach applies cell-based assay post-inoculation experiments to explore the inhibitory potential on the latest steps of the viral cycle, such as genome translation, replication, virion assembly, and virion release from the cells. The second part covers in silico methods evaluating the ability of those compounds to inhibit the activity of the endonuclease domain, which is essential for transcription, binding, and cleaving RNA. In conclusion, the beta acids showed strongest inhibitory potential in post-treatment assay (EC50 = 26.7 µg/mL). Xanthohumol had the highest affinity for OROV endonuclease followed by colupulone and cohumulone. This result contrasts with that observed for docking and MM/PBSA analysis, where cohumulone was found to have a higher affinity. Finally, among the three tested ligands, Lys92 and Arg33 exhibited the highest affinity with the protein.
In March 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert in response to a rapid increase in Oropouche fever cases across South America. Brazil has been particularly affected, reporting a novel reassortant lineage of the Oropouche virus (OROV) and expansion to previously non-endemic areas beyond the Amazon Basin. Utilising phylogeographic approaches, we reveal a multi-scale expansion process with both short and long-distance dispersal events, and diffusion velocities in line with human-mediated jumps. We identify forest cover, banana and cocoa cultivation, temperature, and human population density as key environmental factors associated with OROV range expansion. Using ecological niche modelling, we show that OROV circulated in areas of enhanced ecological suitability immediately preceding its explosive epidemic expansion in the Amazon. This likely resulted from the virus being introduced into simultaneously densely populated and environmentally favourable regions in the Amazon, such as Manaus, leading to an amplified epidemic and spread beyond the Amazon. Our study provides valuable insights into the dispersal and ecological dynamics of OROV, highlighting the role of human mobility in colonisation of new areas, and raising concern over high viral suitability along the Brazilian coast.