Oropouche Virus: An Overview of the Current Status of Diagnostics

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Abstract
The Orthobunyavirus Oropouche (OROV) has become an urgent public health threat in Central and South America, as well as in other countries worldwide. Since its initial identification, there have been over 30 outbreaks, with the largest reported in late 2024 in Brazil. This outbreak prompted an epidemiological alert due to a significant increase in OF cases in non-Amazonian states in the Americas region, as well as in European countries, where 44 imported cases were identified. Humans become infected predominantly through the bite of the Culicoides paraensis midge, and the symptoms could be misinterpreted due to their similarity to those of other arboviral infections. Due to the lack of a point-of-care test, RT-qPCR is currently the key diagnostic test during the acute phase of the disease. This review focuses primarily on the available molecular and serological diagnostic methods. The latter could indeed be used as a confirmation test to monitor the patient’s immunological status and better distinguish between cross-reacting arboviruses. In addition, this review explains also the existing sequencing methods required to enforce the surveillance system for OROV reassortant species that could cause a new worldwide outbreak. The information gathered could provide a valuable basis for implementing additional surveillance systems in those countries lacking up-to-date data.
Funding Information
  • the Italian Ministry of Health (Programma Ricerca Corrente—Linea 1)

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