Endemic Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis in Northern Peru

摘要

Since Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV)was isolated in Peru in 1942, >70 isolates have beenobtained from mosquitoes, humans, and sylvatic mammalsprimarily in the Amazon region. To investigate genetic rela-tionships among the Peru VEEV isolates and between thePeru isolates and other VEEV strains, a fragment of thePE2 gene was amplified and analyzed by single-strandedconformation polymorphism. Representatives of sevengenotypes underwent sequencing and phylogenetic analy-sis. The results identified four VEE complex lineages thatcocirculate in the Amazon region: subtypes ID (Panamaand Colombia/Venezuela genotypes), IIIC, and a new, pro-posed subtype IIID, which was isolated from a febrilehuman, mosquitoes, and spiny rats. Both ID lineages andthe IIID subtype are associated with febrile human illness.Most of the subtype ID isolates belonged to the Panamagenotype, but the Colombia/Venezuela genotype, which isphylogenetically related to epizootic strains, also continuesto circulate in the Amazon basin