Genome sequencing of dengue virus serotype IV in a bat brain sample (Platyrrhinus helleri) from the Brazilian Amazon

The existence of sylvatic transmission of dengue virus in communities of neotropical bats remains uncertain. In this work we present a near-complete genome of dengue virus serotype 4 obtained from the brain of an individual of the bat species Platyrrhinus helleri collected in the Brazilian Amazon region. The presence of the virus in the brain sample may indicate a possible tropism for the central nervous system in bats, which may justify negative results in previous studies that focused on analysis of other tissues, such as liver and spleen. Although the duration of dengue virus circulation in the Americas (circa 40 years) may be too short for an implementation of a sylvatic dengue virus cycle, our findings suggest that continued monitoring is needed as neotropical bats could potentially act as a natural reservoir of dengue in the region.