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Biology subjects

Goes de Jesus, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Goes de Jesus, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Yellow fever virus spread in Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo, 2016-2019: Phylodynamic assessment to improve intervention strategies

The recent re-emergence of yellow fever virus (YFV) in Brazil has raised serious concerns due to the virus rapid dissemination in the southeastern region. To better understand YFV genetic diversity and dynamics during the recent outbreak in southeastern Brazil we generated 18 complete and near-complete genomes from the peak of the epidemic curve from non-human primates (NHPs) and human infected cases across Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro states. Genomic sequencing of 18 YFV genomes revealed the timing, source and likely routes of yellow fever virus transmission and dispersion during the one of the largest outbreaks ever registered in Brazil. We showed that the recent YFV epidemic spillover southwards several times from Minas Gerais to Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro states in 2016 to 2019. The quick production and analysis of data from portable sequencing could identify the corridor of spread of YFV. These findings reinforce that real-time and continued genomic surveillance strategies can assist in the monitoring and public health responses of arbovirus epidemics.\n\nIMPORTANCEArbovirus infections in Brazil including Yellow Fever, Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya result in considerable morbidity and mortality and are pressing public health concerns. However, our understanding of these outbreaks is hampered by limited availability of real time genomic data. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and spatial distribution of YFV during the current outbreak in southeastern Brazil. To gain insights into the routes of YFV introduction and dispersion, we tracked the virus by sequencing YFV genomes sampled from non-human primates and infected patients from the southeastern region. Our study provides an understanding of how YFV initiates transmission in new Brazilian regions and illustrates that near-real time genomics in the field can augment traditional approaches to infectious disease surveillance and control.

microbiology↗

Nanopore native RNA sequencing of a human poly(A) transcriptome

High throughput cDNA sequencing technologies have dramatically advanced our understanding of transcriptome complexity and regulation. However, these methods lose information contained in biological RNA because the copied reads are often short and because modifications are not carried forward in cDNA. We address these limitations using a native poly(A) RNA sequencing strategy developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT). Our study focused on poly(A) RNA from the human cell line GM12878, generating 9.9 million aligned sequence reads. These native RNA reads had an aligned N50 length of 1294 bases, and a maximum aligned length of over 21,000 bases. A total of 78,199 high-confidence isoforms were identified by combining long nanopore reads with short higher accuracy Illumina reads. We describe strategies for assessing 3' poly(A) tail length, base modifications and transcript haplotypes from nanopore RNA data. Together, these nanopore-based techniques are poised to deliver new insights into RNA biology.\n\nDISCLOSURESMA holds shares in Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT). MA is a paid consultant to ONT. REW, WT, TG, JRT, JQ, NJL, JTS, NS, AB, MA, HEO, MJ, and ML received reimbursement for travel, accommodation and conference fees to speak at events organised by ONT. NL has received an honorarium to speak at an ONT company meeting. WT has two patents (8,748,091 and 8,394,584) licensed to Oxford Nanopore. JTS, ML and MA received research funding from ONT.

genomics↗

Multiplex PCR method for MinION and Illumina sequencing of Zika and other virus genomes directly from clinical samples

Genome sequencing has become a powerful tool for studying emerging infectious diseases; however, genome sequencing directly from clinical samples without isolation remains challenging for viruses such as Zika, where metagenomic sequencing methods may generate insufficient numbers of viral reads. Here we present a protocol for generating coding-sequence complete genomes comprising an online primer design tool, a novel multiplex PCR enrichment protocol, optimised library preparation methods for the portable MinION sequencer (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and the Illumina range of instruments, and a bioinformatics pipeline for generating consensus sequences. The MinION protocol does not require an internet connection for analysis, making it suitable for field applications with limited connectivity. Our method relies on multiplex PCR for targeted enrichment of viral genomes from samples containing as few as 50 genome copies per reaction. Viral consensus sequences can be achieved starting with clinical samples in 1-2 days following a simple laboratory workflow. This method has been successfully used by several groups studying Zika virus evolution and is facilitating an understanding of the spread of the virus in the Americas.

genomics↗