Brazilian hemorrhagic fever (BzHF) is an infectious disease caused by Brazilian mammarenavirus, an arenavirus.[4] Brazilian mammarenavirus is one of the arenaviruses from South America to cause hemorrhagic fever.[5] It shares a common progenitor with Argentinian mammarenavirus, Machupo mammarenavirus, Tacaribe mammarenavirus, and Guanarito mammarenavirus.[5] It is an enveloped RNA virus and is highly infectious and lethal.[6] Very little is known about this disease, but it is thought to be transmitted by the excreta of rodents.[4][6] This virus has also been implicated as a means for bioterrorism, as it can be spread through aerosols.[7]
| Brazilian hemorrhagic fever | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| Brazilian mammarenavirus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Negarnaviricota |
| Class: | Ellioviricetes |
| Order: | Bunyavirales |
| Family: | Arenaviridae |
| Genus: | Mammarenavirus |
| Species: | Brazilian mammarenavirus |
| Synonyms | |
As of 2019, there had only been four documented infections of Brazilian mammarenavirus: two occurred naturally, and the other two cases occurred in the clinical setting.[8] The first naturally occurring case was in 1990, when a female agricultural engineer who was staying in the neighborhood of Jardim Sabiá in the municipality of Cotia, a suburb of São Paulo, Brazil contracted the disease (The virus is also known as "Sabiá Virus").[9] She presented with hemorrhagic fever and died.[4] Her autopsy showed liver necrosis.[4] A virologist who was studying the woman's disease contracted the virus but survived.[4] Ribavirin was not given in these first two cases.[4] Four years later, in 1994, a researcher was exposed to the virus in a level 3 biohazard facility at Yale University when a centrifuge bottle cracked, leaked, and released aerosolized virus particles.[4][10] He was successfully treated with ribavirin.[4][11]
A fifth case, also naturally acquired in upstate São Paulo, was reported in January 2020.[12] The patient died 12 days after the onset of symptoms.[13]
Treatment
Ribavirin is thought to be effective in treating the illness, similar to other arenaviruses.[4][11] Compared to the patients who did not receive ribavirin, the patient who was treated with it had a shorter and less severe clinical course.[4] Symptomatic control such as fluids to address dehydration and bleeding may also be required.[11]
Brazilian mammarenavirus is a biosafety Level 4 pathogen.[6]