Isolation and Characterization of Madariaga Virus from a Horse in Paraíba State, Brazil

• DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12441
• Publication Date: 2015-11-26T04:27:07Z
• Authors: M. L. C. R. Silva; A. J. Auguste; A. C. B. Terzian; D. Vedovello; F. Riet-Correa; V. M. K. Macário; M. P. G. Mourão; L. S. Ullmann; J. P. Araújo; S. C. Weaver; M. L. Nogueira
• Keywords: Encephalomyelitis, Equine; eastern equine encephalitis virus; Brain; Alphavirus; horse; 3. Good health; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; arboviruses; Aedes; Animals; Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine; Horse Diseases; Horses; Madariaga virus; Brazil; Cells, Cultured; Phylogeny

Madariaga virus (MADV), the new species designation for the South American isolates of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), is genetically divergent and substantially different in ecology and pathogenesis from North American EEEV strains. We isolated and characterized a MADV isolate obtained from a horse in Brazil. Our results support previous phylogenetic studies showing there are three genetically distinct MADV lineages. The MADV isolate from Paraíba State belongs to the South American lineage III and is closely related to Peruvian, Colombian and Venezuelan isolates.