Renata Dezengrini | PubMed Health

PubMed2026

Human pegivirus 1 in healthy blood donors and in acute febrile patients from Mato Grosso, Midwestern Brazil.

The association between Human Pegivirus 1 (HPgV-1, Pegivirus hominis, family Hepaciviridae) with disease etiology remains unclear, yet this virus is widely distributed among people exposed to contaminated blood. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and characterize HPgV-1 genomes obtained from acute febrile patients (n = 92 from 2019) and from blood donors (n = 633 from 2022) sampled in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The serum samples were tested by RT-qPCR for a conserved 5' UTR region of HPgV-1. Nucleic acid of 28 positive samples was converted to ds-cDNA, purified and sequenced with an Illumina NextSeq platform. The prevalence of HPgV-1 among acute febrile patients was 4.35% (4/92), who were mostly female (3/4; 75.00%) mean 28.86 (12-67) years-old; whereas among blood donors it was 3.79% (24/633), which were predominantly male (16/24; 66.67%), aged 30-45 years-old (13/24; 54.17%). Eight HPgV-1 genomic sequences (7,708-9,248) were recovered; two belong to subgenotype 2a and clustered with strains from United States, Brazil, France and Japan, while the remaining six genomes from subgenotype 2b grouped with strains from Pará, Brazil and abroad. HPgV-1 detection in acute febrile patients and in healthy blood donors highlights the necessity to investigate the epidemiological aspects of this infection, as well as the possible impact to public health in Midwestern Brazil.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2026

RNA viruses in sylvatic mosquitoes and phlebotomine sand flies from Alto Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil 2019.

The Pantanal biome harbors exceptional biodiversity but has been increasingly impacted by climate change and human activities. This region is considered a high-risk zone for zoonotic spillover, making viral studies in sylvatic mosquitoes and other invertebrates indispensable, as these vectors are involved in the transmission of pathogens of public health concern. This study aimed to describe viral genomes identified in Aedes spp., Ochlerotatus sp., Mansonia sp., Phlebotomus sp., Psorophora spp., and Anopheles spp. dipterans collected in March and June 2019, in Pirizal and Porto São Luiz, Alto Pantanal, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Diptera specimens were pooled by genera, and nucleic acids were extracted, followed by library preparation and sequencing on the Illumina NextSeq 500/550 platform. A total of 39 putative viral sequences were recovered, including 23 potentially novel viruses. Coding-complete genomes were identified from Virgaviridae (n=1), Rhabdoviridae (n=1), and Metaviridae (n=1), as well as seven coding-complete segments from Partitiviridae (n=4) and Solemoviridae (n=3). Additionally, 29 partial genomes were recovered from Partitiviridae (n=7), Metaviridae (n=6), Chuviridae (n=2), Sedoreoviridae (n=1), Nodaviridae (n=3), Tombusviridae (n=2), Phasmaviridae (n=2), Flaviviridae (n=3), Virgaviridae (n=1), and Solemoviridae (n=2). Viral characterization in Diptera specimens has gained increasing importance with the advancement of metagenomic approaches, which contribute to global One Health initiatives by providing data that may support the prediction and prevention of future viral spillover events.

Animals↗