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Oropouche virus cases identified in Ecuador using an optimised rRT-PCR informed by metagenomic sequencing

Wise, E. L.; Marquez, S.; Mellors, J.; Paz, V.; Atkinson, B.; Gutierrez, B.; Zapata, S.; Coloma, J.; Pybus, O. G.; Jackson, S. K.; Trueba, G.; Fejer, G.; Logue, C. H.; Pullan, S. T.

2019-06-27 genomics
10.1101/683953 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Oropouche virus (OROV) is responsible for outbreaks of Oropouche fever in parts of South America. We recently identified and isolated OROV from a febrile Ecuadorian patient, however, a previously published rRT-PCR assay did not detect OROV in the patient sample. A primer mismatch to the Ecuadorian OROV lineage was identified from metagenomic sequencing data. We report the optimisation of an rRT-PCR assay for the Ecuadorian OROV lineage, which subsequently identified a further five cases in a cohort of 196 febrile patients. We isolated OROV via cell culture and developed an algorithmically-designed primer set for whole-genome amplification of the virus. Metagenomic sequencing of the patient samples provided OROV genome coverage ranging from 68 - 99%. The additional cases formed a single phylogenetic cluster together with the initial case. OROV should be considered as a differential diagnosis for Ecuadorian patients with febrile illness to avoid mis-diagnosis with other circulating pathogens.

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