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Microbiology · RNA arboviruses

Oropouche virus !

  • Virus
  • Enveloped
  • For completeness

A virus spread mainly by a tiny biting midge. It causes a dengue-like fever that often comes back days or weeks later.

Updated 2026-11-01

Also called: OROV

At a glance

Shape
Spherical
Genome
Single-stranded, negative-sense RNA in three segments
Envelope
Enveloped
Family
Peribunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus
Size
About 80 to 120 nm

Morphology

  • Enveloped virus with glycoproteins Gn and Gc
  • Three RNA segments (large, medium, small) that allow reassortment

Transmission

  • Bite of the midge Culicoides paraensis (main)
  • Some Culex and other mosquitoes as possible vectors
  • Possible vertical transmission reported in Brazil in 2024

Reservoir: Sloths, non-human primates and perhaps birds in the sylvatic cycle; Humans in the urban cycle

Vector: Culicoides paraensis (biting midge)

Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

  • Standard

Virulence factors

  • The segmented genome eases reassortment and the rise of new lineages
  • Can invade the central nervous system after the febrile phase

Diseases it causes

Clinical picture

  • Incubation 3 to 10 days; sudden fever, severe headache, chills, myalgia and arthralgia
  • Photophobia, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and rash
  • Symptoms recur days or weeks later in a large share of patients
  • Rarely aseptic meningitis or encephalitis
  • In pregnancy, links with fetal death and microcephaly are under study

Diagnosis

  • RT-PCR on serum in the first week
  • IgM toward the end of the first week; neutralization at reference labs
  • In neurological disease, CSF serology is more useful than PCR
  • Easily mistaken for dengue or chikungunya

Treatment

There is no specific antiviral: rest, fluids and analgesic-antipyretics such as paracetamol, avoiding NSAIDs until dengue is ruled out.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

Prevention

  • Bite protection: covering clothes, fine mesh screens and repellents
  • Environmental control of organic waste where midges breed
  • No vaccine

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

What is the main vector of Oropouche virus?

The biting midge Culicoides paraensis, a tiny insect distinct from Aedes mosquitoes.

Which clinical feature points to Oropouche rather than dengue?

Symptoms returning days or weeks after the first febrile episode.

What kind of genome does Oropouche virus have?

Single-stranded, negative-sense RNA divided into three segments.

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← Back to the group: RNA arboviruses

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: Oropouche virus disease (World Health Organization (WHO), 2024); Clinical Overview of Oropouche Virus Disease (CDC, 2025).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.