Though discovered relatively recently, Oropouche virus has been making headlines as an emerging vector-borne infectious disease on the rise. Not transmitted by the usual suspects (like ticks and mosquitoes), this virus is instead spread through the bites of midges or no-see-ums. Since these arthropods are already widely distributed and their range is growing thanks to climate change, this is a recipe for potential disaster. In this episode, we take you through the story of Oropouche virus, from how it makes us sick to what the construction of a highway has to do with its discovery, from surprising prevalence statistics to the history of One Health. Tune in for the full scoop on this midge and the virus it carries.
| History | Biology |
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| Ancheta, Justin, et al. “The origins and lineage of One Health, Part II.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 62.10 (2021): 1131. | Gallichotte, E.N., Ebel, G.D. and Carlson, C.J., 2025. Vector competence for Oropouche virus: A systematic review of pre-2024 experiments. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 19(4), p.e0013014. |
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| Brown, E. Richard. “Public health in imperialism: early Rockefeller programs at home and abroad.” American journal of public health 66.9 (1976): 897-903. | Rodriguez-Morales, A.J. and Drexler, J.F., 2025. Re-emergence of Oropouche virus in Brazil and Latin America. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 25(2), pp.137-139. |
| da Rosa, A.P.A. T., et al. “Arbovirus research in the Brazilian Amazon.” Arbovirus Research in Australia – Proceedings 5th Symposium. 1989. | Vasconcelos, H.B., Nunes, M.R., Casseb, L.M., Carvalho, V.L., da Silva, E.V.P., Silva, M., Casseb, S.M. and Vasconcelos, P.F., 2011. Molecular epidemiology of Oropouche virus, Brazil. Emerging infectious diseases, 17(5), p.800. |
| Ding, Yibo, et al. “Phylogenomics and structural modelling feature accelerated evolution of Oropouche virus: 1955 to 2024.” Virologica Sinica (2025). | Pastula, D.M., Beckham, J.D. and Tyler, K.L., 2025. Oropouche virus: an emerging neuroinvasive arbovirus. Annals of neurology, 97(1), pp.28-33. |
| Dixon, K. E., et al. “Oropouche virus. II. Epidemiological observations during an epidemic in Santarém, Pará, Brazil in 1975.” The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 30.1 (1981): 161-164. | Morrison, A., 2024. Oropouche virus disease among US travelers—United States, 2024. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73. |
| Gutierrez, Bernardo, et al. “Evolutionary dynamics of Oropouche virus in South America.” Journal of virology 94.5 (2020): 10-1128. | PAHO Pan American Health Organization: ABRO portal – Oropouche. https://www.paho.org/es/arbo-portal/arbo-portal-oropouche |
| Henry, Ronnie, and Frederck A. Murphy. “Etymologia: Oropouche Virus.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 24.5 (2018): 937. | PAHO Epidemiological Update Oropouche in the Region of the Americas. 13 August 2025. Available: https://www.paho.org/en/documents/epidemiological-update-oropouche-region-americas-13-august-2025 |
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| Mourão, Maria Paula Gomes, et al. “Arboviral diseases in the Western Brazilian Amazon: a perspective and analysis from a tertiary health & research center in Manaus, State of Amazonas.” Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 48.Suppl 1 (2015): 20-26. | WHO Disease Outbreak News: Oropouche Virus disease – Region of the Americas. 5 December 2024. Available: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON545 |
| Pettan-Brewer, Christina, et al. “Who coined the term “One Health”? Cooperation amid the siloization.” One Health 18 (2024): 100678. | |
| Pinheiro, F. de P., et al. “Epidemia de vírus Oropouche em Belém.” Revista de Servico Especial de Saude Publica 12 (1962): 15-23. | |
| Pinheiro, F. P., et al. “An outbreak of Oropouche virus disease in the vicinity of santarem, para, brazil.” Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie 27.2 (1976): 213-223. | |
| Pinheiro, Francisco P., Amelia PA Travassos da Rosa, and Jorge FS Travassos da Rosa. “Oropouche virus. I. A review of clinical, epidemiological, and ecological findings.” (1981): 149-160. | |
| Roberts, Donald R., et al. “Oropouche Virus. 3. Entomological Observations from Three Epidemics in Para, Brazil, 1975.” (1979). | |
| Sakkas, Hercules, et al. “Oropouche fever: a review.” Viruses 10.4 (2018): 175. | |
| Tilston-Lunel, Natasha L. “Oropouche virus: an emerging orthobunyavirus.” Journal of General Virology 105.10 (2024): 002027. | |
| Wesselmann, Konrad M., et al. “Emergence of Oropouche fever in Latin America: a narrative review.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases 24.7 (2024): e439-e452. | |
| “Brazil: On the Road to Dreams.” Time Magazine. 1966. |
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