The virus oropouche transmitted by mosquito bites Culicoides paraensisknown as sandfly, can infect the fetus during pregnancy. This is what a confirmed case in Ceará reveals and described in an article published on October 30th in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The pregnant woman presented symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle pain and severe headache at the end of July, at 30 weeks of gestation. Tests showed infection with oropouche and gave negative results for other diseases, such as dengue, zika and chikungunya. Prenatal exams did not show any abnormalities with the baby before the infection. On August 5, however, fetal death was diagnosed.
After an analysis of fetal tissues, the virus was detected in several samples, in addition to the umbilical cord and placenta. Genetic sequencing confirmed compatibility with strains circulating during the outbreak in the region. According to the authors, the find emphasizes the risk of infection during pregnancy and the need to consider this risk when faced with suspicious symptoms in pregnant women.
Also in October, a article published in The Lancet flagged the possibility of vertical transmission, analyzing potential cases and unfavorable outcomes, including abortions and records of microcephaly in the states of Pernambuco, Acre and Pará. Some of them remain under investigation. For scientists, this transmission route increases the complexity of new forms of infection and can contribute to the development of new epidemic patterns.
Oropouche is a disease caused by the arbovirus OROV, from the same family as the agents that cause dengue, zika and chikungunya. Since it was first identified in the 1960s, this infectious agent has been causing outbreaks mainly in the Amazon region. In 2023, with the expansion of diagnoses across the country, it was detected in other parts of the country, including in the South.
“As research was not carried out outside the Amazon region, it is a very underreported disease. Many cases that looked like dengue, but with negative test results, could be oropouche”, explains infectious disease specialist Emy Akiyama Gouveia, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. “As we were not aware of the extent of the disease in the country, we probably had more cases [de transmissão vertical] that were not detected. And it’s something that we’re going to have to start studying and understanding.”
After biting an infected person or animal, the sandfly carries the virus to other victims. Diagnosis is clinical and laboratory. Most of the time, it causes mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and muscle pain, but it can also cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and even bleeding. In rare cases, there are serious neurological impairments.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine. In the face of suspicious symptoms, it is recommended to seek medical attention. Prevention includes avoiding exposure to mosquito bites, using long clothing and repellent. It is also recommended to use fine mesh screens on doors and windows, in addition to cleaning the land, collecting leaves and fruits from the ground, as mosquitoes reproduce in decomposing organic matter.
This content was originally published in What is known about the transmission of the oropouche virus during pregnancy on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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