scholarly journals Spread of the pandemic Zika virus lineage is associated with NS1 codon usage adaptation in humans

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caio Cesar de Melo Freire ◽  
Atila Iamarino ◽  
Daniel Ferreira de Lima Neto ◽  
Amadou Alpha Sall ◽  
Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Codon Usage ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Housekeeping Genes ◽  
Ns1 Protein ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Asian Lineage

Zika virus (ZIKV) infections were more common in the zoonotic cycle until the end of the 20th century with few human cases in Africa and Southeastern Asia. Recently, the Asian lineage of ZIKV is spreading along human-to-human chains of transmission in the Pacific Islands and in South America. To better understand its recent urban expansion, we compared genetic differences among the lineages. Herein we show that the recent Asian lineage spread is associated with significant NS1 codon usage adaptation to human housekeeping genes, which could facilitate viral replication and increase viral titers. These findings were supported by a significant correlation with growth in Malthusian fitness. Furthermore, we predicted several epitopes in the NS1 protein that are shared between ZIKV and Dengue. Our results imply in a significant dependence of the recent human ZIKV spread on NS1 translational selection.

scholarly journals Transmission dynamics of Zika virus in island populations: a modelling analysis of the 2013-14 French Polynesia outbreak

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Kucharski ◽  
Sebastian Funk ◽  
Rosalind M. Eggo ◽  
Henri-Pierre Mallet ◽  
W. John Edmunds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Guillain Barre Syndrome ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Guillain Barré

AbstractBetween October 2013 and April 2014, more than 30,000 cases of Zika virus (ZIKV) disease were estimated to have attended healthcare facilities in French Polynesia. ZIKV has also been reported in Africa and Asia, and in 2015 the virus spread to South America and the Caribbean. Infection with ZIKV has been associated with neurological complications including Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly, which led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in February 2015. To better understand the transmission dynamics of ZIKV, we used a mathematical model to examine the 2013–14 outbreak on the six major archipelagos of French Polynesia. Our median estimates for the basic reproduction number ranged from 2.6–4.8, with an estimated 11.5% (95% CI: 7.32–17.9%) of total infections reported. As a result, we estimated that 94% (95% CI: 91–97%) of the total population of the six archipelagos were infected during the outbreak. Based on the demography of French Polynesia, our results imply that if ZIKV infection provides complete protection against future infection, it would take 12–20 years before there are a sufficient number of susceptible individuals for ZIKV to reemerge, which is on the same timescale as the circulation of dengue virus serotypes in the region. Our analysis suggests that ZIKV may exhibit similar dynamics to dengue virus in island populations, with transmission characterized by large, sporadic outbreaks with a high proportion of asymptomatic or unreported cases.Author SummarySince the first reported major outbreak of Zika virus disease in Micronesia in 2007, the virus has caused outbreaks throughout the Pacific and South America. Transmitted by the Aedes species of mosquitoes, the virus has been linked to possible neurological complications including Guillain-Barre Syndrome and microcephaly. To improve our understanding of the transmission dynamics of Zika virus in island populations, we analysed the 2013–14 outbreak on the six major archipelagos of French Polynesia. We found evidence that Zika virus infected the majority of population, but only around 12% of total infections on the archipelagos were reported as cases. If infection with Zika virus generates lifelong immunity, we estimate that it would take at least 15–20 years before there are enough susceptible people for the virus to reemerge. Our results suggest that Zika virus could exhibit similar dynamics to dengue virus in the Pacific, producing large but sporadic outbreaks in small island populations.

scholarly journals European and Asian contribution to the genetic diversity of mainland South American chickens

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Herrera ◽  
Spiridoula Kraitsek ◽  
Jose A. Alcalde ◽  
Daniel Quiroz ◽  
Herman Revelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
South America ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Fifteenth Century ◽  
Control Region ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
South American ◽  
Island Southeast Asia ◽  
The Pacific

Chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) from the Americas have long been recognized as descendants of European chickens, transported by early Europeans since the fifteenth century. However, in recent years, a possible pre-Columbian introduction of chickens to South America by Polynesian seafarers has also been suggested. Here, we characterize the mitochondrial control region genetic diversity of modern chicken populations from South America and compare this to a worldwide dataset in order to investigate the potential maternal genetic origin of modern-day chicken populations in South America. The genetic analysis of newly generated chicken mitochondrial control region sequences from South America showed that the majority of chickens from the continent belong to mitochondrial haplogroup E. The rest belongs to haplogroups A, B and C, albeit at very low levels. Haplogroup D, a ubiquitous mitochondrial lineage in Island Southeast Asia and on Pacific Islands is not observed in continental South America. Modern-day mainland South American chickens are, therefore, closely allied with European and Asian chickens. Furthermore, we find high levels of genetic contributions from South Asian chickens to those in Europe and South America. Our findings demonstrate that modern-day genetic diversity of mainland South American chickens appear to have clear European and Asian contributions, and less so from Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Furthermore, there is also some indication that South Asia has more genetic contribution to European chickens than any other Asian chicken populations.

scholarly journals Tracking the moisture transport from the Pacific towards Central and northern South America since the late 19th century

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gallego ◽  
Ricardo García-Herrera ◽  
Francisco de Paula Gómez-Delgado ◽  
Paulina Ordoñez-Perez ◽  
Pedro Ribera
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Westerly Jet ◽  
Eastern Equatorial Pacific ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
The Stability

Abstract. In this paper, we develop an instrumental index based on historical wind direction observations aimed to quantify the moisture transport from the tropical Pacific to Central and northern South America at a monthly scale. This transport is mainly driven by the so-called “Chocó jet”, a low-level westerly jet whose core is located at 5∘ N and 80∘ W. The Chocó jet is profoundly related to the dynamics of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the eastern equatorial Pacific and it is responsible for up to 30 % of the total precipitation in these areas. We have been able to produce an index for this transport starting in the 19th century, adding almost a century of data to previous comparable indices. Our results indicate that the seasonal distribution of the precipitation in Central America has changed throughout the 20th century as a response to the changes in the Chocó jet, decreasing (increasing) its strength in July (September). Additionally, we have found that in general, the relationship between the Chocó jet and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation has been remarkably stable throughout the entire 20th century, a finding particularly significant because the stability of this relation is usually the basis of the hydrologic reconstructions in northern South America.

scholarly journals Gathering Souls: Jesuit Missions and Missionaries in Oceania (1668–1945)

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-115
Author(s):  
Alexandre Coello de la Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
Society Of Jesus ◽  
Missionary Work ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Taking Charge ◽  
Jesuit Missionaries

Abstract This article deals with the missionary work of the Society of Jesus in today’s Micronesia from the 17th to the 20th century. Although the Jesuit missionaries wanted to reach Japan and other Pacific islands, such as the Palau and Caroline archipelagos, the crown encouraged them to stay in the Marianas until 1769 (when the Society of Jesus was expelled from the Philippines) to evangelize the native Chamorros as well as to reinforce the Spanish presence on the fringes of the Pacific empire. In 1859, a group of Jesuit missionaries returned to the Philippines, but they never officially set foot on the Marianas during the nineteenth century. It was not until the twentieth century that they went back to Micronesia, taking charge of the mission on the Northern Marianas along with the Caroline and Marshall Islands, thus returning to one of the cradles of Jesuit martyrdom in Oceania.

scholarly journals Asian lineage of Zika virus RNA pseudoknot may induce ribosomal frameshift and produce a new neuroinvasive protein ZIKV-NS1’

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Tambonis ◽  
Vinícius G. Contessoto ◽  
Cíntia Bittar ◽  
Marília F. Calmon ◽  
Maurício L. Nogueira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Ns1 Protein ◽  
Ribosomal Frameshift ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Potential Target ◽  
Virus Rna ◽  
Alternative Protein ◽  
Asian Lineage ◽  
Rna Pseudoknot

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a threat to humanity, and understanding its neuroinvasiveness is a major challenge. Microcephaly observed in neonates in Brazil is associated with ZIKV that belongs to the Asian lineage. What distinguishes the neuroinvasiveness between the RNA lineages from Asia and Africa is still unknown. Here we identify an aspect that may explain the different behavior between the two lineages. The distinction between the two groups is the occurrence of an alternative protein NS1’ (ZIKV-NS1’), which happens through a pseudoknot in the virus RNA that induces a ribosomal frameshift. Presence of NS1’ protein is also observed in other Flavivirus that are neuroinvasive, and when NS1’ production issuppressed, neuroinvasiveness is reduced.1 This evidence gives grounds to suggest that the ZIKV-NS1’ occurring in the Asian lineage is responsible for neuro-tropism, which causes the neuro-pathologies associated with ZIKV infection, of which microcephaly is the most dev astating. The existence of ZIKV-NS1’, which only exists in the Asian lineage, was inferred through bioinformatic methods, and it has yet to be experimentally observed. If its occurrence is confirmed, it will be a potential target in fighting the neuro-diseases associated with ZIKV.

scholarly journals La globalización en los países andinos y la situación de la población indígena

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 5-32
Author(s):  
Aleksander Posern-Zieliński
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
South America ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Short Description ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Political Differences ◽  
Cultural Entity

Short description (Adapted from introductory paragraph):“Since the early 90s of the 20th century, I followed systematically the development of the socio-cultural and ethno-political situation in the Andean region, meaning the countries in West South America, whose territories include the Pacific coast, and extend into the Andes. The main area of my anthropological investigations relates to three countries, namely to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Despite the fundamental differences in economic development and particular political differences that can be observed, these countries have much in common. This allows me to treat this region as a single cultural entity and to compare similarities between processes taking place here…” Translated and adapted by Michal Gilewski

scholarly journals Peptide-Based Subunit Vaccine Design of T- and B-Cells Multi-Epitopes against Zika Virus Using Immunoinformatics Approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivitri Dewi Prasasty ◽  
Karel Grazzolie ◽  
Rosmalena Rosmalena ◽  
Fatmawaty Yazid ◽  
Fransiskus Xaverius Ivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
B Cell ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Peptide Vaccine ◽  
Human Leukocyte ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
B Cell Epitopes ◽  
The Pacific

The Zika virus disease, also known as Zika fever is an arboviral disease that became epidemic in the Pacific Islands and had spread to 18 territories of the Americas in 2016. Zika virus disease has been linked to several health problems such as microcephaly and the Guillain–Barré syndrome, but to date, there has been no vaccine available for Zika. Problems related to the development of a vaccine include the vaccination target, which covers pregnant women and children, and the antibody dependent enhancement (ADE), which can be caused by non-neutralizing antibodies. The peptide vaccine was chosen as a focus of this study as a safer platform to develop the Zika vaccine. In this study, a collection of Zika proteomes was used to find the best candidates for T- and B-cell epitopes using the immunoinformatics approach. The most promising T-cell epitopes were mapped using the selected human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, and further molecular docking and dynamics studies showed a good peptide-HLA interaction for the best major histocompatibility complex-II (MHC-II) epitope. The most promising B-cell epitopes include four linear peptides predicted to be cross-reactive with T-cells, and conformational epitopes from two proteins accessible by antibodies in their native biological assembly. It is believed that the use of immunoinformatics methods is a promising strategy against the Zika viral infection in designing an efficacious multiepitope vaccine.

scholarly journals How Did Zika Virus Emerge in the Pacific Islands and Latin America?

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
John H.-O. Pettersson ◽  
Vegard Eldholm ◽  
Stephen J. Seligman ◽  
Åke Lundkvist ◽  
Andrew K. Falconar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Vector Competence ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Amino Acid Substitutions ◽  
The Pacific

ABSTRACT The unexpected emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Pacific Islands and Latin America and its association with congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZVS) (which includes microcephaly) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have stimulated wide-ranging research. High densities of susceptible Aedes spp., immunologically naive human populations, global population growth with increased urbanization, and escalation of global transportation of humans and commercial goods carrying vectors and ZIKV undoubtedly enhanced the emergence of ZIKV. However, flavivirus mutations accumulate with time, increasing the likelihood that genetic viral differences are determinants of change in viral phenotype. Based on comparative ZIKV complete genome phylogenetic analyses and temporal estimates, we identify amino acid substitutions that may be associated with increased viral epidemicity, CZVS, and GBS. Reverse genetics, vector competence, and seroepidemiological studies will test our hypothesis that these amino acid substitutions are determinants of epidemic and neurotropic ZIKV emergence.

scholarly journals Worldwide survey reveals lower susceptibility of African Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to diverse strains of Zika virus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabien Aubry ◽  
Daria Martynow ◽  
Artem Baidaliuk ◽  
Sarah H. Merkling ◽  
Laura B. Dickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Population Diversity ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Low Passage

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus mainly transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. First isolated in Uganda in 1947, ZIKV was shown to circulate in enzootic sylvatic cycles in Africa and Asia for at least half a century before the first reported human epidemic occurred in 2007 on the Pacific island of Yap, Micronesia. Subsequently, larger ZIKV outbreaks were recorded in French Polynesia and other South Pacific islands during 2013-2014. In 2015, ZIKV reached Brazil from where it rapidly spread across the Americas and the Caribbean, causing hundreds of thousands of human cases. The factors that have fueled the explosiveness and magnitude of ZIKV emergence in the Pacific and the Americas are poorly understood. Reciprocally, the lack of major human epidemics of ZIKV in regions with seemingly favorable conditions, such as Africa or Asia, remains largely unexplained. To evaluate the potential contribution of vector population diversity to ZIKV epidemiological patterns, we established dose-response curves for eight field-derived Ae. aegypti populations representing the global range of the species, following experimental exposure to six low-passage ZIKV strains spanning the current viral genetic diversity. Our results reveal that African Ae. aegypti are significantly less susceptible than non-African Ae. aegypti across all ZIKV strains tested. We suggest that low susceptibility of vector populations may have contributed to prevent large-scale human transmission of ZIKV in Africa.

Guignardia musae. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].

1975 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Punithalingam
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
East Asia ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Yellowish Green ◽  
Black Spots ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Dark Green

Abstract A description is provided for Guignardia musae. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On Musa cavendishii, M. paradisiaca and M. sapientum. DISEASE: Freckle of banana (Musa). Symptoms on the fingers may appear 2-4 weeks after the bunch has shot but are most noticeable at harvest. On the fruit are red brown, superficial spots usually circular, up to 2 mm diam., with dark green watersoaked halos. Spots may coalesce and dense aggregations of them may form streaks or circular areas. At harvest freckle may completely cover the fingers; the presence of pycnidia renders the surface rough to the touch. The proximal hand is often the most severely affected. On leaves the dark brown or black spots may be small (<1 mm diam.) or larger (up to 4 mm diam.). In the former case freckled areas have a sooty appearance, and streaks or circular areas may form. In the latter case the spots may have fawn or greyish centres with yellowish-green halos. Coalescence of spots occurs and freckle is usually restricted to the older leaves. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Widespread in south and east Asia and the Pacific islands; also in east Africa, but the infections caused have not been found in central or south America (53, 797). TRANSMISSION: Conidia water-dispersed.

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