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. 2021 Jun 16;15(6):e0009494.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009494. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Orthobunyaviruses in the Caribbean: Melao and Oropouche virus infections in school children in Haiti in 2014

Maha A Elbadry  1   2 , Ricardo Durães-Carvalho  3 , Gabriela M Blohm  1   2 , Caroline J Stephenson  1   2 , Julia C Loeb  1   2 , Sarah K White  1   2 , Taina Telisma  4 , Sonese Chavannes  4 , Valery M Beau De Rochars  2   5 , Marco Salemi  2   6 , J Glenn Morris Jr  2   7 , John A Lednicky  1   2
Affiliations

Orthobunyaviruses in the Caribbean: Melao and Oropouche virus infections in school children in Haiti in 2014

Maha A Elbadry et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. .

Abstract

We report the identification of two orthobunyaviruses, Melao virus (MELV) and Oropouche virus (OROV), in plasma specimens from Haitian children with acute febrile illness who presented during outbreaks caused by alpha- and flaviviruses in 2014. Heretofore not described as a human pathogen, MELV was isolated in cell culture from the plasma of five case patients. OROV RNA was detected in the plasma of an additional child, using an unbiased sequencing approach, with phylogenetic inference suggesting a close relationship with strains from Brazil. Abdominal pain was reported by four case patients with MELV infections, with lymphadenopathy noted in two cases. Our findings document the occurrence of these orthobunyaviruses within the Caribbean region and highlight the critical importance of surveillance with viral genome sequence analyses to identify outbreaks caused by these and other emerging viruses.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. MELV isolation in Vero E6 cells.
(A) Mock-infected Vero E6 cells. (B) Vero E6 cells 13 days post-inoculation with plasma from patient A. Apoptotic bodies and dead cells that have detached from the growth surface are evident. Original magnification 400X.
Fig 2
Fig 2. MELV sequence in plasmid insert.
Fig 3
Fig 3. OROV sequences in plasmids.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Maximum likelihood (ML) tree based on the Small genome segment of MELV and other California serogroup orthobunyavirus isolates.
MELV isolates from this study are highlighted in yellow color; GenBank accession numbers for the corresponding small genome sequences are: 1 (MN264272); 2 (MN268724), 3 (MN268727), and 4 (MN268730). Asterisks represents Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH-like) support values equal or greater than 75%. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure. Abbreviations: BR, Brazil; BO, Bolivia; CO, Colombia; CZ, Czech Republic; MZ, Mozambique; RU, Russia; TT, Trinidad and Tobago; US, United States. Mosquito genera: Ae., Aedes; An., Anopheles; C., Culiseta; Oc., Ochlerotatus.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Maximum likelihood tree based on the Medium segment of MELV and other California serogroup orthobunyaviruses isolates.
MELV isolates from this study are highlighted in yellow color; GenBank accession numbers for the corresponding small genome sequences are: 1 (MN264271); 2 (MN268723), 3 (MN268726), and 4 (MN268729). Asterisks represents Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH-like) support values equal or greater than 75%. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure. Abbreviations: BR, Brazil; CH, China; CZ, Czech Republic; MX: Mexico; PE, Peru; RU, Russia; TT, Trinidad and Tobago; US, United States. Mosquito genera: Ae., Aedes; An., Anopheles; Cx., Culex; C., Culiseta; Oc., Ochlerotatus.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Maximum likelihood tree based on the Large segment of MELV and other California serogroup orthobunyaviruses isolates.
MELV isolates from this study are highlighted in yellow color; GenBank accession numbers for the corresponding small genome sequences are: 1 (MN264270); 2 (MN268722), 3 (MN268725), and 4 (MN268728). Branches are labeled with Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH-like) support values equal or greater than 75%. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure. Abbreviations: BR, Brazil; CZ, Czech Republic; FI, Finland; MZ, Mozambique; PE, Peru; RU, Russia; TT, Trinidad and Tobago; US, United States. Mosquito genera: Ae., Aedes; An., Anopheles; C., Culiseta; L., Lepus; Oc., Ochlerotatus.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Maximum likelihood (ML—IQ-Tree) midpoint rooted tree based on 166 representative Small segment sequences (693 sites) of different OROV strains.
Tips are colored according to genotype. The OROV sequence of this study (GenBank no. MN264269) is identified by the arrow and bolded name. Tip labels refer to GenBank accession code, country of origin (BR, Brazil; PE, Peru; EC, Ecuador; PA, Panama; HT, Haiti; TT, Trinidad and Tobago), and year of isolation. Asterisks indicate SH-aLTR/aBayes/ultrafast bootstrap support values. Only values equal or greater than 75% are shown. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Maximum likelihood (ML) midpoint rooted tree based on 50 representative Medium segment sequences (4357 sites) of different OROV strains.
Tips are colored according to genotype. The OROV sequence of this study (GenBank no. MN264268) is represented by the arrow and bolded name. Tip labels represents GenBank accession code, country of origin (BR, Brazil; PE, Peru; EC, Ecuador; HT, Haiti; TT, Trinidad and Tobago), and year of isolation. Asterisks indicate SH-aLTR/aBayes/ultrafast bootstrap support values. Only values equal or greater than 75% are shown. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Maximum likelihood (ML) midpoint rooted tree based on 49 representative Large segment sequences (6830 sites) of OROV strains.
Tips are colored according to genotype. OROV human isolate from this study (GenBank no. MN264267) is represented by the arrow and bolded name. Tip labels represents GenBank accession code, country of origin (BR, Brazil; PE, Peru; EC, Ecuador; HT, Haiti; TT, Trinidad and Tobago), and year of isolation. Asterisks assumes SH-aLTR/aBayes/ultrafast bootstrap support values. Only values equal or greater than 75% are shown. Branch lengths are drawn in scale of nucleotide substitutions per site according to the bar in the figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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