33rd Brazilian Society for Virology (SBV) 2022 Annual Meeting.

Each year, the Brazilian Society for Virology promotes a national meeting during the second semester of the year. In October 2022, the 33rd meeting took place at Arraial da Ajuda, Porto Seguro, Bahia, in-person:.this was the first in-person meeting since 2019, as the 2020 and 2021 events occurred online due to the issues imposed by COVID-19. It was a great pleasure for the whole audience to return to an in-person event, which certainly improved the interactions between the attendees in all ways. As usual, the meeting involved massive participation of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students, and several noteworthy international researchers were present. During five afternoons and evenings, attendees could discuss and learn about the most recent data presented by distinguished scientists from Brazil and other countries. In addition, young virology researchers from all levels could present their latest results as oral presentations and posters. The meeting covered all virology areas, with conferences and roundtables about human, veterinary, fundamental, environmental, invertebrate, and plant virology. The costs associated with attending the in-person event caused a slight reduction in the number of attendees compared to the two online events. However, even with this issue, the attendance was impressive. The meeting successfully achieved its most important goals: inspiring young and senior scientists and discussing high-quality, up-to-date virology research.

SARS-CoV-2 Spillback to Wild Coatis in Sylvatic-Urban Hotspot, Brazil.

We tested coatis (Nasua nasua) living in an urban park near a densely populated area of Brazil and found natural SARS-CoV-2 Zeta variant infections by using quantitative reverse transcription PCR, genomic sequencing, and serologic surveillance. We recommend a One Health strategy to improve surveillance of and response to COVID-19.

Long-Term Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: One-Year Study in Brazil.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a tool involving the analysis of wastewater for chemicals and pathogens at the community level. WBE has been shown to be an effective surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2, providing an early-warning-detection system for disease prevalence in the community via the detection of genetic materials in the wastewater. In numerous nation-states, studies have indicated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Herein, we report the primary time-course monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples in São José do Rio Preto-SP/Brazil in order to explain the dynamics of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA during one year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and analyze possible relationships with other environmental parameters. We performed RNA quantification of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR using N1 and N2 targets. The proportion of positive samples for every target resulted in 100% and 96.6% for N1 and N2, respectively. A mean lag of -5 days is observed between the wastewater signal and the new SARS-CoV-2-positive cases reported. A correlation was found between the air and wastewater temperatures and therefore between the SARS-CoV-2 viral titers for N1 and N2 targets. We also observed a correlation between SARS-CoV-2 viral titers and media wastewater flow for the N1 target. In addition, we observed higher viral genome copies within the wastewater samples collected on non-rainy days for the N1 target. Thus, we propose that, based on our results, monitoring raw wastewater may be a broadly applicable strategy that might contribute to resolving the pressing problem of insufficient diagnostic testing; it may represent an inexpensive and early-warning method for future COVID-19 outbreaks, mainly in lower- and middle-income countries.

High genetic diversity of alphacoronaviruses in bat species (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

Bat coronaviruses (Bat-CoVs) represent around 35% of all virus genomes described in bats. Brazil has one of the highest mammal species diversity, with 181 species of bats described so far. However, few Bat-CoV surveillance programmes were carried out in the country. Thus, our aim was to jevaluate the Bat-CoV diversity in the Atlantic Forest, the second biome with the highest number of bat species in Brazil. We analysed 456 oral and rectal swabs and 22 tissue samples from Atlantic Forest bats, detecting Alphacoronavirus in 44 swab samples (9.6%) targeting the RdRp gene from seven different bat species, three of which have never been described as Bat-CoV hosts. Phylogenetic analysis of the amino acid (aa) sequences coding the RdRp gene grouped the sequences obtained in our study with Bat-CoV previously detected in identical or congeneric bat species, belonging to four subgenera, with high aa identity (over 90%). The RdRp gene was also detected in three tissue samples from Diphylla ecaudata and Sturnira lilium, and the partial S gene was successfully sequenced in five tissues and swab samples of D. ecaudata. The phylogenetic analysis based on the partial S gene obtained here grouped the sequence of D. ecaudata with CoV from Desmodus rotundus previously detected in Peru and Brazil, belonging to the Amalacovirus subgenus, with aa identity ranging from 73.6% to 88.8%. Our data reinforce the wide distribution of Coronaviruses in bats from Brazil and the novelty of three bats species as Bat-CoV hosts and the co-circulation of four Alphacoronavirus subgenera in Brazil.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma lineage introduction and COVID-19 vaccination on the epidemiological landscape of a Brazilian city.

Background: The emergence of the Brazilian variant of concern, Gamma lineage (P.1), impacted the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 cases due to its higher transmissibility rate and immune evasion ability. Methods: We sequenced 305 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genomes and performed phylogenetic analyses to identify introduction events and the circulating lineages. Additionally, we use epidemiological data of COVID-19 cases, severe cases, and deaths to measure the impact of vaccination coverage and mortality risk. Results: Here we show that Gamma introduction in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, was followed by the displacement of seven circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and a rapid increase in prevalence two months after its first detection in January 2021. Moreover, Gamma variant is associated with increased mortality risk and severity of COVID-19 cases in younger age groups, which corresponds to the unvaccinated population at the time. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the beneficial effects of vaccination indicated by a pronounced reduction of severe cases and deaths in immunized individuals, reinforcing the need for rapid and massive vaccination.

The 32nd Brazilian Society of Virology (SBV) 2021 Annual Meeting.

The Brazilian Society of Virology has been organizing annual meetings for 32 years now. The 32nd annual meeting, which occurred in 2021, was once again an online meeting in consequence of the issues imposed by COVID-19, even with the vaccination advances. As in the 2020 meeting, the number of attendees was high, with considerable participation by undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students. Distinguished scientists from different countries offered high-quality conferences, and oral presentation sessions were presented by young scientists showing their newest research results. For almost five hours a day during five days, attendees discussed high-quality science related to all areas of virology. Even with the difficulties imposed by another pandemic year, the 32nd SBV annual meeting achieved its most important goal-to inspire young scientists and discuss high-quality virology research.

The Emergence of the New P.4 Lineage of SARS-CoV-2 With Spike L452R Mutation in Brazil.

The emergence of several SARS-CoV-2 lineages presenting adaptive mutations is a matter of concern worldwide due to their potential ability to increase transmission and/or evade the immune response. While performing epidemiological and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from Porto Ferreira-São Paulo-Brazil, we identified sequences classified by pangolin as B.1.1.28 harboring Spike L452R mutation, in the RBD region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these sequences grouped into a monophyletic branch, with others from Brazil, mainly from the state of São Paulo. The sequences had a set of 15 clade defining amino acid mutations, of which six were in the Spike protein. A new lineage was proposed to Pango and it was accepted and designated P.4. In samples from the city of Porto Ferreira, P.4 lineage has been increasing in frequency since it was first detected in March 2021, corresponding to 34.7% of the samples sequenced in June, the second in prevalence after P.1. Also, it is circulating in 30 cities from the state of São Paulo, and it was also detected in one sample from the state of Sergipe and two from the state of Rio de Janeiro. Further studies are needed to understand whether P.4 should be considered a new threat.

Case Study of Two Post Vaccination SARS-CoV-2 Infections with P1 Variants in CoronaVac Vaccinees in Brazil.

The rapid development of efficacious and safe vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been instrumental in mitigating the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Moreover, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants raised concerns on the efficacy of these vaccines. Herein, we report two cases of breakthrough infections with the P1 variant in patients vaccinated with CoronaVac, which is one of the two vaccines authorized for emergency use in the Brazilian immunization program. Our observations suggest that the vaccine reduced the severity of the disease and highlight the potential risk of illness following vaccination and subsequent infection with the P1 variant as well as for continued efforts to prevent and diagnose infection in vaccinated persons.