In June 2019, a 20-year-old man went to the hospital in the city. Chanchamayoin Peru, suffers from symptoms such as fever, malaise, chills, systemic muscle pain, drowsiness, photophobia, anorexia, joint and head pain.. All of these symptoms may be associated with tropical diseases such as dengue or malaria. However, it turned out that it was not any of these diseases, but rather new viruswhich has never before been described anywhere in the world.
This case was recently described in a study published in a journal. New infectious diseases. It talks about how they discovered that this is a new virus and about all the doubts that its discovery causes.
The patient may have become infected. after entering the jungle, but we don’t know how. The virus can be transmitted by mosquitoes, but what storage tank this pathogen? No further cases have been identified since then, but it is more than likely that this new virus is still in the jungle. Some animal species must act as a reservoir from which mosquitoes can carry it to humans walking through these uninhabited areas. It’s a sign of importance warning systems in the face of new pathogens, but also the risk of continued invasions in places where humans are the exception.
A new virus that has nothing to do with dengue
Considering the patient’s symptoms, doctors carried out tourniquet test. This involves applying pressure to the arm that is intermediate between systolic and diastolic. That is, the pressure between that at which the heart contracts and that at which it expands. This forces the capillaries to test their fragility, as this is a characteristic symptom of hemorrhagic diseases such as dengue fever.
The test came back negative, so it doesn’t look like dengue or any other hemorrhagic fever. Samples were taken and tested negative for a wide range of viruses, such as those that cause yellow fever, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, dengue, Mayaro, Oropush, Guaroa, Caraparu, Maguari, Alpahuayo, Tacaribe and cardiovirus. It was reactive only to the polyclonal antibodies Oropush and Maguari.
All of them cause diseases known in tropical countries. However, this virus, even reacting to antibodies intended for others, was none of them. Was a completely new phlebovirus.
Phleboviruses are viruses transmitted mosquitoes, mosquitoes and ticks, causing various forms of meningitis and febrile syndromes. There are three common febrile phleboviruses in Central and South America that may match this person’s symptoms: Ejarate (ECHV), Maldonado and Candiru.
The one they found in their cells resembled ECHV, but its genetic material was different.
So how did it form?
The study authors believe that this new virus could have originated from recombination of echarate and unknown phlebovirus. That is, both coincided in the cells of some animal and exchanged their genetic material, thus forming a kind of mixture between them.
These scientists also note that it will be necessary to conduct environmental research, The purpose of the study was to analyze how widespread this new virus is. This was the first time this had been discovered, and there may never be another case. But biosurveillance is important to ensure that if it does happen, it doesn’t spread further.
After all, this is a very isolated case. We are by no means facing an incipient pandemic. But it’s interesting how much there is that we still don’t know about. From animal and plant species never seen before to pathogens that have never infected us. In the latter case, the further they are from us, the better.
Source: Hiper Textual
