Clinical and Serological Findings of Madariaga and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Viral Infections: A Follow-up Study 5 Years After an Outbreak in Panama.
Abstract: Human cases of Madariaga virus (MADV) infection were first detected during an outbreak in 2010 in eastern Panama, where Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) also circulates. Little is known about the long-term consequences of either alphavirus infection. Methods: A follow-up study of the 2010 outbreak was undertaken in 2015. An additional survey was carried out 2 weeks after a separate 2017 alphavirus outbreak in a neighboring population in eastern Panama. Serological studies and statistical analyses were undertaken in both populations. Results: Among the originally alphavirus-seronegative participants (n = 35 of 65), seroconversion was observed at a rate of 14.3% (95% CI, 4.8%-30.3%) for MADV and 8.6% (95% CI, 1.8%-23.1%) for VEEV over 5 years. Among the originally MADV-seropositive participants (n = 14 of 65), VEEV seroconversion occurred in 35.7% (95% CI, 12.8%-64.9%). In the VEEV-seropositive participants (n = 16 of 65), MADV seroconversion occurred in 6.3% (95% CI, 0.2%-30.2%). MADV seroreversion was observed in 14.3% (95% CI, 1.8%-42.8%) of those who were originally seropositive in 2010. VEEV seroconversion in the baseline MADV-seropositive participants was significantly higher than in alphavirus-negative participants. In the population sampled in 2017, MADV and VEEV seroprevalence was 13.2% and 16.8%, respectively. Memory loss, insomnia, irritability, and seizures were reported significantly more frequently in alphavirus-seropositive participants than in seronegative participants. Conclusions: High rates of seroconversion to MADV and VEEV over 5 years suggest frequent circulation of both viruses in Panama. Enhanced susceptibility to VEEV infection may be conferred by MADV infection. We provide evidence of persistent neurologic symptoms up to 5 years following MADV and VEEV exposure.
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Publication Date: 2020-08-20 PubMed ID: 33005697PubMed Central: PMC7518370DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa359Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article investigates the long-term effects of Madariaga virus (MADV) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) infections in Panama, observed over a period of 5 years since an outbreak in 2010. The study suggests regular circulation of both viruses in Panama, possible exacerbation of VEEV infection by previous MADV infection, and persisting neurological symptoms following exposure to the viruses.
Research Methodology
- The researchers conducted a follow-up study five years after the 2010 outbreak and an additional assessment two weeks post a separate spring of alphavirus infection in 2017.
- Serological studies were undertaken for both populations to look at antibodies resulting from exposure to the viruses.
- Statistical analysis was used to understand the patterns and rates of seroconversion (the period when a specific antibody enters the bloodstream, indicating an immune response to an infection).
Research Findings
- Among 35 participants who were initially negative for alphavirus infection, a 14.3% rate of seroconversion for MADV and an 8.6% rate for VEEV was found over five years.
- The rate of VEEV seroconversion for those initially positive for MADV was significantly higher (35.7%) than that for individuals initially negative for any alphavirus infection.
- The study also found that among participants initially seropositive for VEEV, 6.3% seroconverted for MADV.
- It was further noted that 14.3% of the participants originally seropositive for MADV in 2010 demonstrated seroreversion, which is the loss of detectable antibodies in the blood.
- In the population evaluated in 2017, rates of MADV and VEEV seroprevalence were found to be 13.2% and 16.8%, respectively.
- The researchers discovered that memory loss, insomnia, irritability, and seizures were more frequently reported in participants who had been seropositive for alphaviruses.
Research Conclusions
- The high rates of seroconversion for both MADV and VEEV indicate that both viruses circulate frequently in Panama.
- Previous MADV infection could potentially make individuals more susceptible to VEEV infection, but additional research is required to understand this relationship further.
- The researchers discovered that neurological symptoms could persist up to 5 years after exposure to MADV and VEEV, necessitating greater attention from the medical community.
Cite This Article
APA
Carrera JP, Pittí Y, Molares-Martínez JC, Casal E, Pereyra-Elias R, Saenz L, Guerrero I, Galué J, Rodriguez-Alvarez F, Jackman C, Pascale JM, Armien B, Weaver SC, Donnelly CA, Vittor AY.
(2020).
Clinical and Serological Findings of Madariaga and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Viral Infections: A Follow-up Study 5 Years After an Outbreak in Panama.
Open Forum Infect Dis, 7(9), ofaa359.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa359 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Virology and Biotechnology, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama, Panama.
- Clinical Research Unit, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Department of Research in Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama.
- Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, and World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Division of Infectious Disease and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Grant Funding
- MR/R015600/1 / Medical Research Council
- R24 AI120942 / NIAID NIH HHS
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