VIRAL METAGENOMICS PERFORMED IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE FEBRILE SYNDROME DURING TOXOPLASMA GONDII OUTBREAK IN SOUTH BRAZIL

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The infection is widely spread in the human population and is usually asymptomatic or benign. In this study we performed viral metagenomics in patient samples obtained during T. gondii outbreak in Santa Maria city, South Brazil. We applied sequencing and bioinformatics pipelines to investigate if viruses cocirculate during this outbreak. We identified viral agents like Epstein Barr virus and Parvovirus B19 which can cause similar to toxoplasmosis symptoms. In conclusion, our findings show the importance of the use of viral metagenomics during outbreaks for the differential diagnosis of viral infectious agents which might be cocirculating and cause similar symptoms.