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Züst R, Ackermann-Gäumann R, Liechti N, Siegrist D, Ryter S, Portmann J, Lenz N, Beuret C, Koller R, Staehelin C, Kuenzli AB, Marschall J, Rothenberger S, Engler O. Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen. Viruses 2023; 15:2266. [PMID: 38005942 PMCID: PMC10675069 DOI: 10.3390/v15112266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
When infecting humans, Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) may cause a severe disease called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Following non-specific symptoms, the infection may progress to a syndrome of hemorrhagic fever combined with hyper-acute cardiopulmonary failure. The case fatality rate ranges between 25-40%, depending on the outbreak. In this study, we present the follow-up of a male patient who recovered from HCPS six years ago. We demonstrate that the ANDV genome persists within the reproductive tract for at least 71 months. Genome sequence analysis early and late after infection reveals a low number of mutations (two single nucleotide variants and one deletion), suggesting limited replication activity. We can exclude the integration of the viral genome into the host genome, since the treatment of the specimen with RNAse led to a loss of signal. We demonstrate a long-lasting, strong neutralizing antibody response using pseudovirions expressing the ANDV glycoprotein. Taken together, our results show that ANDV has the potential for sexual transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Züst
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | | | - Nicole Liechti
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | - Denise Siegrist
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | - Sarah Ryter
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | - Jasmine Portmann
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | - Nicole Lenz
- Food Microbial Systems, Risk Assessment and Mitigation Group, Agroscope, 3097 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian Beuret
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
| | - Roger Koller
- Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cornelia Staehelin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea B. Kuenzli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Marschall
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sylvia Rothenberger
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Engler
- Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland (O.E.)
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2
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Dafalla M, Orłowska A, Keleş SJ, Straková P, Schlottau K, Jeske K, Hoffmann B, Wibbelt G, Smreczak M, Müller T, Freuling CM, Wang X, Rola J, Drewes S, Fereidouni S, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Hantavirus Brno loanvirus is highly specific to the common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula) and widespread in Central Europe. Virus Genes 2023; 59:323-332. [PMID: 36542315 PMCID: PMC10025241 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01952-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Bat-associated hantaviruses have been detected in Asia, Africa and Europe. Recently, a novel hantavirus (Brno loanvirus, BRNV) was identified in common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) in the Czech Republic, but nothing is known about its geographical range and prevalence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution and host specificity of BRNV by testing bats from neighbouring countries Germany, Austria and Poland. One thousand forty-seven bats representing 21 species from Germany, 464 bats representing 18 species from Austria and 77 bats representing 12 species from Poland were screened by L segment broad-spectrum nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or by BRNV-specific real-time RT-PCR. Three common noctules from Germany, one common noctule from Austria and three common noctules from Poland were positive in the hantavirus RNA screening. Conventional RT-PCR and primer walking resulted in the amplification of partial L segment and (almost) complete S and M segment coding sequences for samples from Germany and partial L segment sequences for samples from Poland. Phylogenetic analysis of these nucleotide sequences showed highest similarity to BRNV from Czech Republic. The exclusive detection of BRNV in common noctules from different countries suggests high host specificity. The RNA detection rate in common noctules ranged between 1 of 207 (0.5%; Austria), 3 of 245 (1.2%; Germany) and 3 of 20 (15%; Poland). In conclusion, this study demonstrates a broader distribution of BRNV in common noctules in Central Europe, but at low to moderate prevalence. Additional studies are needed to prove the zoonotic potential of this hantavirus and evaluate its transmission within bat populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maysaa Dafalla
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anna Orłowska
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Sinan Julian Keleş
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Straková
- Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 296/70, 621 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kore Schlottau
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gudrun Wibbelt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcin Smreczak
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Thomas Müller
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Conrad Martin Freuling
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jerzy Rola
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Sasan Fereidouni
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Quartier Sorge - Batiment Amphipole, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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3
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Kikuchi F, Arai S, Hejduk J, Hayashi A, Markowski J, Markowski M, Rychlik L, Khodzinskyi V, Kamiya H, Mizutani T, Suzuki M, Sikorska B, Liberski PP, Yanagihara R. Phylogeny of Shrew- and Mole-Borne Hantaviruses in Poland and Ukraine. Viruses 2023; 15:881. [PMID: 37112861 PMCID: PMC10145205 DOI: 10.3390/v15040881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Earlier, we demonstrated the co-circulation of genetically distinct non-rodent-borne hantaviruses, including Boginia virus (BOGV) in the Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), Seewis virus (SWSV) in the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) and Nova virus (NVAV) in the European mole (Talpa europaea), in central Poland. To further investigate the phylogeny of hantaviruses harbored by soricid and talpid reservoir hosts, we analyzed RNAlater®-preserved lung tissues from 320 shrews and 26 moles, both captured during 1990-2017 across Poland, and 10 European moles from Ukraine for hantavirus RNA through RT-PCR and DNA sequencing. SWSV and Altai virus (ALTV) were detected in Sorex araneus and Sorex minutus in Boginia and the Białowieża Forest, respectively, and NVAV was detected in Talpa europaea in Huta Dłutowska, Poland, and in Lviv, Ukraine. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods showed geography-specific lineages of SWSV in Poland and elsewhere in Eurasia and of NVAV in Poland and Ukraine. The ATLV strain in Sorex minutus from the Białowieża Forest on the Polish-Belarusian border was distantly related to the ATLV strain previously reported in Sorex minutus from Chmiel in southeastern Poland. Overall, the gene phylogenies found support long-standing host-specific adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuka Kikuchi
- Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
- Center for Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Satoru Arai
- Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Janusz Hejduk
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Ai Hayashi
- Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
- Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Janusz Markowski
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Marcin Markowski
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Leszek Rychlik
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Vasyl Khodzinskyi
- Institute of Forestry and Park Gardening, Ukrainian National Forestry University, 79057 Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Hajime Kamiya
- Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Mizutani
- Center for Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Motoi Suzuki
- Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
- Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Beata Sikorska
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Łódź, 92-216 Łódź, Poland
| | - Paweł P. Liberski
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Łódź, 92-216 Łódź, Poland
| | - Richard Yanagihara
- Departments of Pediatrics and Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
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Terrestrial and Subterranean Mammals as Reservoirs of Zoonotic Diseases in the Central Part of European Russia. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d15010039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Russia has a number of historical foci of zoonotic anthropogenic diseases. In Central Russia, the Republic of Mordovia is one of such areas, a region being known to have foci of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and tularemia. It therefore requires continuous monitoring. The role of small terrestrial mammals as reservoirs of zoonoses has been previously proven for the region. The aim of this work is to take an integrated approach to assess the role of terrestrial and subterranean small mammals. Subterranean mammals are often not considered important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens that cause human morbidity. Among small mammals in the wild environment, the bank vole, the yellow-necked mouse and the house mouse play important roles as vectors of zoonoses. Among wild subterranean mammals, the greater mole rat is important as a vector of tularemia and HFRS. We analyzed homogenized internal organs of these animals (lungs, spleen, kidneys). Of all samples from the greater mole rat, 83% were positive for tularemia antigens and 17% were positive forHFRS. None of the analyzed European moles had antigens of tularemia and HFRS. No double infection with both tularemia and hantavirus was detected in the subterranean mammals. Double infection was found among terrestrial mammals in the bank vole and the forest dormouse.
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Cuperus T, de Vries A, Jaarsma RI, Sprong H, Maas M. Occurrence of Rickettsia spp., Hantaviridae, Bartonella spp. and Leptospira spp. in European Moles ( Talpa europaea) from the Netherlands. Microorganisms 2022; 11:microorganisms11010041. [PMID: 36677332 PMCID: PMC9861085 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11010041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The European mole (Talpa europaea) has a widespread distribution throughout Europe. However, little is known about the presence of zoonotic pathogens in European moles. We therefore tested 180 moles from the middle and the south of the Netherlands by (q)PCR for the presence of multiple (tick-borne) zoonotic pathogens. Spotted fever Rickettsia was found in one (0.6%), Leptospira spp. in three (1.7%), Bartonella spp. in 69 (38.3%) and Hantaviridae in 89 (49.4%) of the 180 moles. Infections with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia spp., Spiroplasma spp. and Francisella tularensis were not found. In addition, in a subset of 35 moles no antibodies against Tick-borne encephalitis virus were found. The obtained sequences of Bartonella spp. were closely related to Bartonella spp. sequences from moles in Spain and Hungary. The Hantaviridae were identified as the mole-borne Nova virus, with high sequence similarity to sequences from other European countries, and Bruges virus. Though the zoonotic risk from moles appears limited, our results indicate that these animals do play a role in multiple host-pathogen cycles.
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Davies KA, Chadwick B, Hewson R, Fontana J, Mankouri J, Barr JN. The RNA Replication Site of Tula Orthohantavirus Resides within a Remodelled Golgi Network. Cells 2020; 9:cells9071569. [PMID: 32605035 PMCID: PMC7408811 DOI: 10.3390/cells9071569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Hantaviridae within the Bunyavirales order comprises tri-segmented negative sense RNA viruses, many of which are rodent-borne emerging pathogens associated with fatal human disease. In contrast, hantavirus infection of corresponding rodent hosts results in inapparent or latent infections, which can be recapitulated in cultured cells that become persistently infected. In this study, we used Tula virus (TULV) to investigate the location of hantavirus replication during early, peak and persistent phases of infection, over a 30-day time course. Using immunofluorescent (IF) microscopy, we showed that the TULV nucleocapsid protein (NP) is distributed within both punctate and filamentous structures, with the latter increasing in size as the infection progresses. Transmission electron microscopy of TULV-infected cell sections revealed these filamentous structures comprised aligned clusters of filament bundles. The filamentous NP-associated structures increasingly co-localized with the Golgi and with the stress granule marker TIA-1 over the infection time course, suggesting a redistribution of these cellular organelles. The analysis of the intracellular distribution of TULV RNAs using fluorescent in-situ hybridization revealed that both genomic and mRNAs co-localized with Golgi-associated filamentous compartments that were positive for TIA. These results show that TULV induces a dramatic reorganization of the intracellular environment, including the establishment of TULV RNA synthesis factories in re-modelled Golgi compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Davies
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (K.A.D.); (B.C.); (J.F.); (J.M.)
| | - Benjamin Chadwick
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (K.A.D.); (B.C.); (J.F.); (J.M.)
| | - Roger Hewson
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK;
| | - Juan Fontana
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (K.A.D.); (B.C.); (J.F.); (J.M.)
| | - Jamel Mankouri
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (K.A.D.); (B.C.); (J.F.); (J.M.)
| | - John N. Barr
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (K.A.D.); (B.C.); (J.F.); (J.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-113-3438069
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7
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Kang HJ, Gu SH, Yashina LN, Cook JA, Yanagihara R. Highly Divergent Genetic Variants of Soricid-Borne Altai Virus ( Hantaviridae) in Eurasia Suggest Ancient Host-Switching Events. Viruses 2019; 11:E857. [PMID: 31540127 PMCID: PMC6783933 DOI: 10.3390/v11090857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
With the recent discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) in shrews (order Eulipotyphla, family Soricidae), the once-conventional view that rodents (order Rodentia) served as the primordial reservoir hosts now appears improbable. The newly identified soricid-borne hantaviruses generally demonstrate well-resolved lineages organized according to host taxa and geographic origin. However, beginning in 2007, we detected sequences that did not conform to the prototypic hantaviruses associated with their soricid host species and/or geographic locations. That is, Eurasian common shrews (Sorexaraneus), captured in Hungary and Russia, were found to harbor hantaviruses belonging to two separate and highly divergent lineages. We have since accumulated additional examples of these highly distinctive hantavirus sequences in the Laxmann's shrew (Sorexcaecutiens), flat-skulled shrew (Sorexroboratus) and Eurasian least shrew (Sorexminutissimus), captured at the same time and in the same location in the Sakha Republic in Far Eastern Russia. Pair-wise alignment and phylogenetic analysis of partial and full-length S-, M- and/or L-segment sequences indicate that a distinct hantavirus species related to Altai virus (ALTV), first reported in a Eurasian common shrew from Western Siberia, was being maintained in these closely related syntopic soricine shrew species. These findings suggest that genetic variants of ALTV might have resulted from ancient host-switching events with subsequent diversification within the Soricini tribe in Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hae Ji Kang
- John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.
| | - Se Hun Gu
- John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.
| | - Liudmila N Yashina
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, "Vector", Koltsovo 630559, Russia.
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Richard Yanagihara
- John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.
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Laenen L, Dellicour S, Vergote V, Nauwelaers I, De Coster S, Verbeeck I, Vanmechelen B, Lemey P, Maes P. Spatio-temporal analysis of Nova virus, a divergent hantavirus circulating in the European mole in Belgium. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:5994-6008. [PMID: 27862516 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade, the recognized host range of hantaviruses has expanded considerably with the discovery of distinct hantaviruses in shrews, moles and bats. Unfortunately, in-depth studies of these viruses have been limited. Here we describe a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution, genetic diversity and evolution of Nova virus, a hantavirus that has the European mole as its natural host. Our analysis demonstrated that Nova virus has a high prevalence and widespread distribution in Belgium. While Nova virus displayed relatively high nucleotide diversity in Belgium, amino acid changes were limited. The nucleocapsid protein was subjected to strong purifying selection, reflecting the strict evolutionary constraints placed upon Nova virus by its host. Spatio-temporal analysis using Bayesian evolutionary inference techniques demonstrated that Nova virus had efficiently spread in the European mole population in Belgium, forming two distinct clades, representing east and west of Belgium. The influence of landscape barriers, in the form of the main waterways, on the dispersal velocity of Nova virus was assessed using an analytical framework for comparing Bayesian viral phylogenies with environmental landscape data. We demonstrated that waterways did not act as an environmental resistance factor slowing down Nova virus diffusion in the mole population. With this study, we provide information about the spatial diffusion of Nova virus and contribute sequence information that can be applied in further functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lies Laenen
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon Dellicour
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Evolutionary and Computational Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valentijn Vergote
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Inne Nauwelaers
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sarah De Coster
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ina Verbeeck
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vanmechelen
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philippe Lemey
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Evolutionary and Computational Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Piet Maes
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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