Datos abiertos o Muerte, Venceremos! Cuban Data Publishing Versus Oropouche Virus
Prash
Datos abiertos o Muerte, Venceremos! Cuban Data Publishing Versus Oropouche VirusData mobilization versus vector borne disease: a new data paper on Oropouche virus vector spread in Cuba show the potential for this approach in tackling emerging virus-associated infectious diseases.
I think of the many things we achieved at GigaScience Press over the last 15 years, I’m probably most proud of our WHO-sponsored collaboration with GBIF where we carried out three rounds of data mobilization campaigns to facilitate the sharing of vectors of human disease data. Data sharing is important in any field, but the data targeted here is of particular importance to global public health, and the series did an amazing job working with authors in parts of the world that normally don’t have the resources and capacity to share it in this manner. With their researchers also missing the visibility and credit through being able to publish and share their work. The WHO-sponsorship addressed much of this through covering publication costs and a running a GBIF Health help desk to make sharing the data as easy and cheap as possible. With the GigaScience and GBIF teams working extremely closely with the data producers to help with the drafting of the data papers and help the data producers curate and share their data. You can see more on the process in this Cassyni author webinar that also included the input of the GigaScience and GBIF team.  For the final phase of submissions this summer the call linked up with a GBIF training workshop at the West African Aedes Surveillance Network (WAASuN) meeting in Accra Ghana that built capacity and helped Early Career Researchers in the region bring their own data and share it in GBIF. The African participation leading to the first submissions to the series from Cabo Verde, Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda, and really helping expand the vector data coverage in GBIF across the region. This third phase still has a few more papers in press, but already pushes the new data mobilized through the series over the 1M specimen barrier, and also adds extremely topical new vector types. Some of these bringing forward extremely important information on potential new sources of zoonotic infection. A paper in August presenting the first global dataset of Chagas disease vectors outside their normal home in the Americas. Showing the presence of Triatomine “kissing bugs” species with the potential to carry Chagas disease to Africa, Asia, and Oceania. This data providing a critical tool for international surveillance and helping public health officials assess and manage the risk of local Chagas transmission across the globe (see the media coverage, and the map from the paper below).
The latest paper in the series is potentially even more topical and timely for tackling emerging virus-associated infectious diseases, presenting the first data looking at potential Oropouche virus vectors during the diseases first outbreak in Cuba last year. Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emerging vector borne disease in South and Central America, with OROV transmission until recently confined to the Amazon Basin. As an arbovirus related to dengue, Zika, West Nile, and Yellow Fever, human infection produces influenza like symptoms such as fever, body aches and headaches. These are generally milder than Yellow fever and Dengue, but after the first two reported deaths in Brazil last year, there are increasing concerns about miscarriages and birth defects being linked to virus in a similar manner to Zika. Because of this the virus has been highlighted as one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Latin America, particularly since it has started to expand in range. With the first documented outbreak of OROV beyond its typical geographic zone occurring in Cuba on 27th May 2024. Followed worryingly by later reports of infections from Barbados, Dominica, Guatemala, Guyana, Panama, and Venezuela.
Human cases of Oropouche fever were initially confirmed in Santiago de Cuba province, then spreading to other parts of the country, totaling 506 confirmed cases by September 2024. The aftermath of Hurricane Melissa has made 2025 even worse for mosquito-borne illnesses in Cuba. Leaving the island with a terrible epidemic of fever cases this summer, thought to mostly be Chikungunya, but also Dengue, Zika and very likely new cases of Oropouche. The midge Culicoides paraensis has been identified as the principal vector of OROV, but the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus is thought to be a secondary vector, and other mosquito species such as Coquillettidia venezuelensis and Aedes serratus have also been proposed as potential vectors. Making it extremely important from a public health perspective to determine the exact species that need to be controlled and monitored. The new paper in GigaByte presents the data from investigations at 14 active OROV transmission areas across three Cuban provinces between May and October 2024. Specimens were collected using BG-Sentinel traps and nucleic acid based detection methods used to identify the species. A total of 2180 specimens were collected, and these were pooled and processed by RT-PCR to look for virus. With Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes (the widely abundant “southern house mosquito”) being the most likely candidate based on the positive pools, and the dengue mosquito Ae. aegypti, and Ceratopogonidae sand flies also flagged as potential vectors of OROV in the Cuban context. Further vector competence studies are needed to 100% determine these links and more accurately elucidate the OROV transmission dynamics in the Caribbean region, but this dataset is a crucial first resource to help pin down the potential key vectors that need to be controlled and mapped to halt their spread. All the data being available in the GBIF database under a CC0 public domain waiver. The aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic has left people hypersensitive to the risks of new zoonotic infections, but the increased reporting of the rise and spread of diseases like Oropouche and Simian malaria may not just due to changing climate and genetic changes in these diseases. But also the increasing roll out of more sensitive and accurate molecular (DNA/RNA based) screening technologies in the wake of COVID such as PCR and wastewater based tests that can now detect infectious agents that would have been missed with the older histopathological and cytological techniques. More infectious disease data, particularly historical data is especially important to try to better understand these global changes and trends. And help us better understand and tackle the next pandemic threat. The sponsored GigaByte series is leading to the sharing of over 30 papers with accompanying datasets of over 1M vector specimens across over 70 countries. With particularly high coverage from Africa and Latin America. With one of the authors (Victoire Nsabatien from DRC) winning a 2024 Ben Barres Spotlight Award for his work published in the series. This was all a lot of work, but very satisfying to demonstrate the power of sponsored data mobilisation campaigns to target crucial data gaps. Particular thanks need to go to Paloma Shimabukuro from the GBIF vectors task group and data helpdesk for all her input and patience working with the many authors and data submitter. Alongside Florence Fouque for instigating this project and providing the financial support from TDR, and we hope this project provides one of many fitting legacies upon her retirement from the WHO last month (see the picture below with Paloma and Lily Shrestha from GBIF, Florence, and the GBIF vectors task group at the ICTMM meeting in Borneo last year).
We would also like to thank Gladys Gutiérrez- Bugallo and her team at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí in Havana for working with us to share this critical data in this manner. You can follow the series page for the publication of the last few in-press papers in the series, as well as any potential new submissions if the new GigaByte team keeps the series going (feel free contact them if you have data). https://doi.org/10.46471/GIGABYTE_SERIES_0002 ReferencesCeccarelli S et al., Triatomines outside the Americas: a comprehensive dataset for the global surveillance of Chagas disease vectors. GigaByte, 2025 https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.163 Wesselmann KM et al. Emergence of Oropouche fever in Latin America: a narrative review. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 24(7). e439 - e452 https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00740-5 González MS et al., Potential vectors associated to Oropouche virus transmission in Cuba, 2024, GigaByte, 2025 https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.169 Sampling event dataset. Possible vectors associated to Oropouche virus transmission in Cuba, 2024. Version 1.3. Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí., 2025; https://doi.org/10.15468/cndehf. Accessed via GBIF.org on August 19, 2025. Scott Edmunds is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Scott Edmunds that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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