BACKGROUND Herpesvirus transmission between humans and non-human primate (NHP) can occur through contact scratches with lesions, infected saliva, and mainly through contaminated food. Therefore, cross-infection can lead to severe illness or even death for both the animal and human. In 2017, during the yellow fever (YF) outbreak in Brazil, species of the New World Primates (NWP) from Rio de Janeiro state, tested negative for yellow fever virus (YFV) detection. OBJECTIVES To evaluate herpesvirus in the population NWP in Rio de Janeiro. METHODS To investigate, liver samples of 283 NWP, from several regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro, were tested for the herpesvirus family using a Pan-polymerase chain reaction (Pan-PCR) and sequencing. FINDINGS 34.6% (98/283) tested positive for at least one herpesvirus; 29.3% (83/283) tested positive to Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HSV-1), this virus from humans can be lethal to New World monkey; 13% (37/283) were detected Callitrichine gammaherpesvirus 3 (CalHV-3), responsible for lymphoproliferative disease that can be fatal in NWP. In addition, CalHV-3 / HSV-1 co-infection was in 11.6% (33/283) of the samples. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Pan-herpesvirus was useful to identify species-specific herpesviruses and virus from human that can infect animals. Furthermore, during an outbreak of YF other infections should be monitored.

This article addresses the relationship between human herpesviruses (HHVs) and neuroinfections. Alphaherpesviruses, betaherpesviruses and gammaherpesviruses are neurotropic viruses that establish latency and exhibit reactivation capacity. Encephalitis and meningitis are common in cases of HHV. The condition promoted by HHV infection is a purported trigger for certain neurodegenerative diseases. Ongoing studies have identified an association between HSV-1 and the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and infections by HHV-6 and Epstein-Barr virus. In this review, we highlight the importance of research investigating the role of herpesviruses in the pathogenesis of diseases that affect the nervous system and describe other studies in progress.

A infecção pelo vírus da hepatite A constitui um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública no Brasil. A transmissão do HAV ocorre principalmente pela via orofecal deste modo a água é um importante veículo da disseminação do HAV. Existe uma alta incidência de casos agudos de hepatite A em algumas áreas do Brasil entretanto a variação sazonal destes casos não foi relatada. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a sazonalidade da infecção pelo HAV no Rio de Janeiro. De janeiro de 1999 a dezembro de 2001, 1731 amostras de sangue foram coletadas no Centro Nacional de Referência para Hepatites Virais no Brasil (CRNHV). Estas amostras foram testadas por um ensaio imunoenzimático comercial para detectar anticorpos IgM anti-HAV. Taxas de positividade anuais foram de 33,74% em 1999, 32,19% em 2000, e 30,63% em 2001. Uma variação sazonal foi observada com um alto índice na primavera e verão. Também foi observado um aumento sazonal na incidência da infecção pelo HAV durante a estação chuvosa (Dezembro a Março) pois o índice de chuvas é muito alto. Foi concluído que a infecção pelo HAV ocorre o ano todo com um pico durante estações quentes com grande número de chuvas.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection constitutes a major public health problem in Brazil. The transmission of HAV is primarily by fecal-oral route so the water is an important vehicle of HAV dissemination. There is a great incidence of acute cases of hepatitis A in some areas of Brazil however the seasonal variation of these cases was not documented. The aim of this study was to determine the seasonality of HAV infection in Rio de Janeiro. From January 1999 to December 2001, 1731 blood samples were collected at the National Reference Center for Hepatitis Viruses in Brazil (NRCHV). These samples were tested by a commercial enzyme-immunoassay to detect anti-HAV IgM antibodies. Yearly positive rates were 33.74% in 1999, 32.19% in 2000, and 30.63% in 2001. A seasonal variation was recognized with the highest incidence in spring and summer. Furthermore a seasonal increase in incidence of HAV infection was found during the rainy season (December to March) because the index of rains is very high. It is concluded that HAV infections occur all year round with a peak during hot seasons with great number of rains.