Development of bioinformatics tools for assembly and genomic characterization of emerging and reemerging viruses circulating in Brazil

• Ano de defesa: 2022
• Autor(a) principal: Vagner de Souza Fonseca
• Orientador(a): Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara
• Banca de defesa: Aristóteles Góes Neto, Raquel Cardoso de Melo Minardi, Antônio Ricardo Khouri Cunha, Ana Maria Bispo de Filippis
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioinformatica
• Departamento: ICB - INSTITUTO DE CIÊNCIAS BIOLOGICAS
• País: Brasil
• Palavras-chave em Português: Arbovirus; Bioinformatica; MinION; Filogenia; NSG
• Link de acesso: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/42258; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5521-6448

The recent emergence and re-emergence of arboviruses such as Chikungunya (CHIKV), Zika (ZIKV), Dengue (DENV), Yellow Fever (YFV), Mayaro (MAYV), Oropouche (OROV), and West Nile Fever (WNV) viruses in Brazil illustrate the need for rapid genomic monitoring so that countermeasures can be readily organized. The overarching aim of this study was therefore, to improve the quality of public health care services, through an active monitoring of circulating and co-circulating viruses by genomics and bioinformatics analysis. These are necessary: (i) to identify possible new emerging viruses, as well as to identify those already circulating but low in viraemia; ii) to reduce underreporting of co-infection cases; iii) to understand the dynamics of spatiotemporal dissemination of possible circulating and cocirculating viruses, and (iv) to determine the factors affecting the spread and clinical outcome of infections caused by arboviruses. Efficient bioinformatics tools capable of analysing the large volume of data generated from high throughput sequencing are essential to understand the epidemiology of infections caused by viral pathogens in a given area. These tools may also be used to provide timely data about the spread of infections to other geographical regions. In this context, creative bioinformatics strategies can democratize and decentralize the data management and analysis process, allowing the realization of an automated, real time and open access global surveillance system. Indeed, the genomic data generated in this project improved understanding of geographic and temporal spread of circulating viruses. This likely influenced policy and improved measures to control epidemics, monitor the dynamics and spread of new viral strains, and led to the implementation of more efficient control programs for real-time genomic surveillance of acute febrile syndrome related to arboviruses.