title: SAINT LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN MATO GROSSO, CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL.
abstract: The dengue virus (DENV), which is frequently involved in large epidemics, and the yellow fever virus (YFV), which is responsible for sporadic sylvatic outbreaks, are considered the most important flaviviruses circulating in Brazil. Because of that, laboratorial diagnosis of acute undifferentiated febrile illness during epidemic periods is frequently directed towards these viruses, which may eventually hinder the detection of other circulating flaviviruses, including the Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), which is widely dispersed across the Americas. The aim of this study was to conduct a molecular investigation of 11 flaviviruses using 604 serum samples obtained from patients during a large dengue fever outbreak in the state of Mato Grosso (MT) between 2011 and 2012. Simultaneously, 3,433 female Culex spp. collected with Nasci aspirators in the city of Cuiabá, MT, in 2013, and allocated to 409 pools containing 1-10 mosquitoes, were also tested by multiplex semi-nested reverse transcription PCR for the same flaviviruses. SLEV was detected in three patients co-infected with DENV-4 from the cities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. One of them was a triple co-infection with DENV-1. None of them mentioned recent travel or access to sylvatic/rural regions, indicating that transmission might have occurred within the metropolitan area. Regarding mosquito samples, one pool containing one Culex quinquefasciatus female was positive for SLEV, with a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.29 per 1000 specimens of this species. Phylogenetic analysis indicates both human and mosquito SLEV cluster, with isolates from genotype V-A obtained from animals in the Amazon region, in the state of Pará. This is the first report of SLEV molecular identification in MT.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia Borges da Silva
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Heinen
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nayara
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zuchi
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Otacília Pereira
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Belgath Fernandes
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Breno Herman Ferreira
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Gondim
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública do Mato Grosso, Secretaria Estadual de Saúde, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Adriano Mendes
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco José Dutra
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daphine Ariadne Jesus de
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Paula
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Valéria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dutra
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dezengrini-Slhessarenko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004665:Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004674:Encephalitis, St. Louis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral