title: Seroprevalence of Orthopoxvirus in rural Brazil: insights into anti-OPV immunity status and its implications for emergent zoonotic OPV.
abstract: Bovine vaccinia (BV) is a zoonosis caused by Vaccinia virus, a virus from Orthopoxvirus genus (OPV) that affects mainly cattle herds and humans in rural areas in Brazil. Because most studies have focused on outbreaks situations, data on BV epidemiology is limited. A cross sectional study in Brazilian rural areas during 2012-2013 was conducted to determine the neutralizing antibodies seroprevalence and risk factors for BV.
  
  
  
  A structured questionnaire was applied to elicit demographics data and farming practices considered risk factors for BV exposure. Neutralizing anti-OPV antibodies were investigated using plaque reduction neutralization test. The neutralizing antibodies prevalence rates were calculated and the risk factor analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  
  Two hundred and forty participants were enrolled in this study with a prevalence of neutralizing antibodies of 30.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 25.3-36.9). In multivariate analysis, age > 35 years (Odds Ratio [OR] = 18.2; CI 95 % = 7.7 - 43.2) and previous outbreak in property (OR = 3.9; C I95 % = 1.2 - 12.6) were independently associated with anti-OPV neutralizing antibodies.
  
  
  
  In this study, anti-OPV protective immunity (neutralizing antibody titers) was assessed in an endemic BV Brazilian rural area. Our findings indicate that epidemiological surveillance is required and should be applied by public health authorities to create interventions and/or prevention strategies to avoid viral spread causing future outbreaks among individuals who are under risk of infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. galileuk1@gmail.com.|, Present address: Av Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Brazil. galileuk1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Galileu Barbosa
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária, Serro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lídia Teodoro Santos
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Augusto
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Virus Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Almeida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo César Peregrino
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudio Antônio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bonjardim
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jônatas Santos
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Abrahão
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Erna Geessien
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kroon
authors.affiliation: Fundação Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Minas Gerais (HEMOMINAS), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Castro
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. giliane@icb.ufmg.br.|, Present address: Av Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Brazil. giliane@icb.ufmg.br.
authors.forename: Giliane de Souza
authors.initials: Gde S
authors.lastname: Trindade
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018155:Orthopoxvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011213:Poxviridae Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral