Diversidade viral em carrapatos e flebotomíneos capturados em áreas silvestres de Chapada dos Guimarães e Pantanal Norte, Mato Grosso, Brasil

Abstract

A growing number of novel arboviruses and variants transmitted to humans by ticks and sandflies has been described through high throughput sequencing worldwide. This study aimed at investigating viral diversity in ticks and sandflies captured on RAPELD systems present in the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and North Pantanal of Mato Grosso in different climatic periods. Ticks captured with flannel drag composed six pools of salivary glands and two of ninfs and, sandflies captured with CDC light traps formed 12 pools. These pools were subjected to viral RNA extraction, double-strand of cDNA synthesis and randomic PCR amplification. DNA product was sequenced after library preparation through Illumina HiSeq 2500 plataform. Pools of ticks caught in the rainy season in the Pantanal presented hits of 100 bp with the families Orthomyxoviridae and Chuviridae in the BLASTx of 66.7% and 76.7% respectively, and in the dry period with the Bunyaviridae family (53.3%). In the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, rainy and dry periods, pools presented hits with the families Chuviridae (71.9%) and Bunyaviridae (52.3%). Moreover, two pools of Lutzomya sp. from North Pantanal, rainy and dry periods, presented identities with Rhabdoviridae (44.9% and 40.3%) and Flaviviridae (47.9%). A pool of Lutzomya sp. captured in the Pantanal in the intermediate period presented the partial genome of a new phlebovirus belong to phlebotomus fever serogroup, named Viola virus. The phylogeny revealed that the L segment is related to Chagres, Urucuri and Uriurana viruses with 60, 59 and 58% similarity respectively, and 38, 30 and 32% for the S segment. The M segment is related to Chagres 40% and Uriurana and 43%. Viola virus was isolated in Vero cells, indicating this virus is not insect-specific. This close relationship with the arboviruses indicates that Viola virus is possibly an arbovirus transmitted to other vertebrate hosts. Future studies may elucidate epidemiological aspects and pathogenesis of this new virus, as well as its importance for public or veterinarian health.