title: Characterization of Dengue virus type 2: new insights on the 2010 Brazilian epidemic.
abstract: Dengue viruses (DENV) serotypes 1, 2, and 3 have been causing yearly outbreaks in Brazil. In this study, we report the re-introduction of DENV2 in the coast of São Paulo State. Partial envelope viral genes were sequenced from eighteen patients with dengue fever during the 2010 epidemic. Phylogenetic analysis showed this strain belongs to the American/Asian genotype and was closely related to the virus that circulated in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and 2008. The phylogeny also showed no clustering by clinical presentation, suggesting that the disease severity could not be explained by distinct variants or genotypes. The time of the most recent common ancestor of American/Asian genotype and the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (SP/RJ) monophyletic cluster was estimated to be around 40 and 10 years, respectively. Since this virus was first identified in Brazil in 2007, we suggest that it was already circulating in the country before causing the first documented outbreak. This is the first description of the 2010 outbreak in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and should contribute to efforts to control and monitor the spread of DENVs in endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias-(LIMHC), Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo e Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. cmromano@usp.br
authors.forename: Camila Malta
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Andréia Manso
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Matos
authors.forename: Evaldo Stanislau A
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Lucy Santos
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Villas-Boas
authors.forename: Wanessa Cardoso
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Olímpia M N P F
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Karina I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Ana Carolina Mamana
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Celia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Esper G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kallas
authors.forename: Claudio Sergio
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Pannuti
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction