Serologic and Molecular Evidence of Arboviruses in Nonhuman Primates in Northeast Brazil

Illaira Leydira Carvalho Bandeira; Marlos Gomes Martins; Alessandra da Conceição Miranda Santos; Camille Ferreira de Oliveira; Éder Barros Dos Santos; Franko de Arruda E Silva; Jannifer Oliveira Chiang; Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos; Patricia Avello Nicola

doi:10.1007/s10393-024-01695-6

Serologic and Molecular Evidence of Arboviruses in Nonhuman Primates in Northeast Brazil

Ecohealth. 2025 Jan 12. doi: 10.1007/s10393-024-01695-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Illaira Leydira Carvalho Bandeira¹, Marlos Gomes Martins², Alessandra da Conceição Miranda Santos³, Camille Ferreira de Oliveira³, Éder Barros Dos Santos³, Franko de Arruda E Silva³, Jannifer Oliveira Chiang³, Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos^{3

4}, Patricia Avello Nicola²

Affiliations

¹ Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Rodovia BR-407, KM 12, Lote 543, Sem Número, Projeto de Irrigação Nilo Coelho, Petrolina, Pernambuco, 56300-000, Brazil. illaira@hotmail.com.
² Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Rodovia BR-407, KM 12, Lote 543, Sem Número, Projeto de Irrigação Nilo Coelho, Petrolina, Pernambuco, 56300-000, Brazil.
³ Instituto Evandro Chagas, Rodovia BR-316, KM 07, Sem número, Levilandia, Ananindeua, Pará, 67030-000, Brazil.
⁴ Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Travessa Perebebui, 2623, Marco, Belém, Pará, 66087-662, Brazil.

PMID: 39799547
DOI: 10.1007/s10393-024-01695-6

Abstract

Arbovirus surveillance in marmosets (Callithrix spp.) that live close to humans helps identify viral circulation in the environment and contributes to public health. We investigated the exposure to arboviral infections in 47 captive and free-living Callithrix from urban and peri-urban areas in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil (SNB) in 2018. The samples were tested for antibodies against 23 arbovirus antigens and the presence of Orthoflavivirus zikaense (ZIKV), Orthoflavivirus denguei, Alphavirus chikungunya, and Orthoflavivirus flavi using hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and RT-qPCR assays. HI highlighted three samples seropositivity for Flavivirus (3/47; 6,4%). One of these samples displayed monotypic antibodies to Alphavirus eastern (formerly known as Eastern equine encephalitis virus; genus Alphavirus). RT-qPCR revealed that one sample (1/41; 2.4%) of C. jacchus captured in a commercial area of Petrolina-PE was positive for ZIKV. Our results indicated that marmosets living close to humans in the SNB were exposed to arboviruses, with the identification of ZIKV, even after the largest epidemic of the virus in the country and the subsequent human cases reduction. Here, we reinforce the importance of both continuous arboviruses monitoring in wildlife and preserving natural habitats to promote public health and biodiversity conservation.

Keywords: Alphavirus eastern; Callithrix; Eastern equine encephalitis virus; Flavivirus; Orthoflavivirus zikaense; marmosets.