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Oropouche fever, the mysterious threat

Oropouche virus is an emerging virus, but not a new one. The virus was first detected in the village of Oropouche, in Trinidad and Tobago, in 1955. Since then, the virus has had limited circulation in parts of South America, with cases reported in settings close the forested areas, such as the Amazonas. Oropouche virus has a sylvatic cycle because the virus has a reservoir in pale-throated sloths, non-human primates, and birds and is transmitted by midges (Culicoides paraensis) and mosquitoes (Aedes spp). However, in the ongoing outbreak, Oropouche virus has infected people living in regions far from forested areas, thus indicating that an urban cycle can exist as well.

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 A little-known virus on the rise in South America could overwhelm health systems

Deforestation and climate change may help midges spread Oropouche virus far beyond the Amazon Basin.

 Oropouche Virus: More Questions than Answers

Despite being described as a human pathogen >60 years ago, little progress has been made towards describing the ecologic and pathologic characteristics of this pathogen. However, with recent viral spread northward reaching Haiti and Cuba, oropouche virus has been receiving more attention, as evidenced by the growing number of relevant research articles.

Articles of Interest

Outbreak of Oropouche virus in Brazil should be a ‘wake-up call’, say experts

The disease, spread by midges and mosquitoes, has been linked to two deaths as cases surge in previously unaffected areas

Brazil May Face a New Threat, This Time From Biting Midges

The virus is typically transmitted by a biting midge, Culicoides paraensis, that ranges from Argentina to as far north as Wisconsin. The insects are known variously as no-see-ums, because of their size, or gunpowder midges, because they resemble black gunpowder grains. Smaller than mosquitoes, they can slip through some screens; their sharp bites raise small, intensely itchy bumps.

Oropouche fever outbreak in Brazil: an emerging concern in Latin America

The current outbreak of Oropouche virus (OROV) infection in the Amazonas and Acre states of Brazil presents considerable public health concerns, including the risk to travellers visiting these regions. Given the endemic nature of OROV infection in these areas, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently elevated Brazil to a level 1 Travel Health Alert. Oropouche fever, resulting from OROV infection, is an emerging zoonotic disease transmitted primarily via the bites of infected Culicoides paraensis, commonly known as biting midges, and sometimes via mosquitoes

Oropouche Fever: A Review

OROV fever is considered the second most frequent arboviral febrile disease in Brazil after dengue fever. OROV is transmitted through both urban and sylvatic transmission cycles, with the primary vector in the urban cycle being the anthropophilic biting midge Culicoides paraensis.

Oropouche virus: A neglected global arboviral threat

The historical epidemiology of Oropouche fever underscores the impact of human-induced environmental and climatic changes on the spread and prevalence of hosts and vectors.

Surging Oropouche virus (OROV) cases in the Americas: A public health challenge

OROV has similar clinical presentation like other arboviral infections. The epidemiological history of OROV and the abundance of the reservoirs and vectors in the American region is a matter of concern. The major limitation in contain OROV is the lack of effective surveillance mechanisms and case reporting. Most of the OROV outbreaks are retrospectively identified through the history of infected people and evaluating the obtained laboratory reports.

Virus spreading in Latin America may cause stillbirths and birth defects

The virus was first identified in 1955, and it’s unclear why neurological damage in babies appears to have been very rare so far. One possibility is that nobody was really looking. Another explanation is that the virus has evolved to become more pathogenic. Studies have shown that the strain driving the current epidemic arose from genetic reassortment between viruses earlier found in Peru and Colombia.

Resources

CDC

Oropouche virus is spread to people primarily by the bite of infected biting midges. Some mosquitoes can also spread the virus. Clinical presentation is commonly mistaken for other arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, and malaria.