Enhanced virulence and neuroinvasion of contemporary Oropouche virus strains in the AG129 mouse model
Álvaro G. A. Ferreira
Oropouche virus (OROV) is an orthobunyavirus undergoing dramatic re-emergence and rapid geographic expansion across Central and South America, coinciding with the emergence of reassortant lineages carrying novel segment combinations and adaptive mutations. Despite extensive genomic and epidemiological characterization, the biological mechanisms driving OROV resurgence during 2023–2024 remain unclear. Here, we show that contemporary reassortant OROV isolates exhibit markedly enhanced virulence in