Real-Time Genomic Surveillance during the 2021 Re-Emergence of the Yellow Fever Virus in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil
Miguel de Souza Andrade, Fabrício Souza Campos, Aline Alves Scarpellini Campos, Filipe Vieira Santos de Abreu, Fernando L. Melo, Anaiá da Paixão Sevá, Jáder da Cruz Cardoso, Edmilson dos Santos, Lucas C. Born, Cláudia Maria Dornelles da Silva, Nícolas Felipe Drumm Müller, Cirilo Henrique de Oliveira, Alex J. J. da Silva, Danilo Simonini-Teixeira, Sofía Bernal‐Valle, Maria Angélica Mares-Guia, George Rêgo Albuquerque, Alessandro Romano, Ana Cláudia Franco, Bergmann Morais Ribeiro, Paulo Michel Roehe, Marco Antônio Barreto de Almeida
Abstract
The 2021 re-emergence of yellow fever in non-human primates in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), southernmost Brazil, resulted in the death of many howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) and led the state to declare a Public Health Emergency of State Importance, despite no human cases reported. In this study, near-complete genomes of yellow fever virus (YFV) recovered from the outbreak were sequenced and examined aiming at a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and the spatio-temporal dynamics of the virus distribution. Our results suggest that the most likely sequence of events involved the reintroduction of YFV from the state of São Paulo to RS through the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, by the end of 2020. These findings reinforce the role of genomic surveillance in determining the pathways of distribution of the virus and in providing references for the implementation of preventive measures for populations in high risk areas.