The history of Arbovirology at Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, Pará, Brazil, from 1954 to 1998

Abstract

The history of Arbovirology at the Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC) is a true love story of dedication and enthusiasm of a group of persons who gave so much of themselves to gather all the knowledge available on the arboviruses field in the Brazilian Amazon Region.

A significant and relevant part of studies conducted by this group included the antigenic characterization of new viral agents. This aspect has deep impact and fundamental importance in the recognition of new virus species. It allowed the world to learn about the existence of a large variety of distinct types of arbovirus and certain other viruses isolated from wild vertebrates and arthropods. In parallel, an extraordinary collection was established including more than 10,000 virus strains which have been using for experimental studies on the pathogenesis, ultra-structure, molecular biology, and evolution of these agents by future generations of scientists.