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Schountz T. Unraveling the mystery of Tacaribe virus. mSphere 2024:e0060524. [PMID: 39292015 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00605-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Tacaribe virus (TCRV) was first isolated in the mid-1950s from several Artibeus species bats in and around Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Since that time, debate has persisted whether artibeus bats serve as reservoir hosts of the virus or whether infection of the bats was an incidental spillover event from another, unidentified reservoir host. Complicating the issue is that the only TCRV isolate routinely used, TRVL-11573, had been passaged in suckling mice and likely accumulated mutations that altered its biology. Recent fieldwork has now identified two distinct genomes of TCRV in apparently healthy artibeus bats sampled in Brazil and the Dominican Republic (C. Fischer, M. H. A. Cassiano, W. R. Thomas, L. M. Dávalos, et al., mSphere e00520-24, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00520-24). Together, these works suggest that artibeus bats are natural reservoirs of TCRV and that the virus has a wide geographic distribution in the Americas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Schountz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Fischer C, Anzolini Cassiano MH, Thomas WR, Dávalos LM, Leon Y, Salazar J, Rossiter SJ, Moreira-Soto A, Drexler JF. Discovery and biological confirmation of a highly divergent Tacaribe virus in metatranscriptomic data from neotropical bats. mSphere 2024:e0052024. [PMID: 39258931 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00520-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
First isolated from neotropical fruit bats in Trinidad in 1956, Tacaribe virus (TCRV) has rarely been detected since. We searched for New World arenavirus reads in roughly 5.7 million sequencing runs available on public databases using Serratus. We recovered a complete genome of a divergent TCRV in metatranscriptomic data derived from heart and eye tissue of an adult male Jamaican fruit-eating bat sampled in the Dominican Republic, 2014. In total, 2,733 reads were mapped resulting in mean coverages of 7.4-fold for the L and 10.2-fold for the S segment. Re-testing original bat specimens showed the highest viral loads in liver tissue (245 copies/mg). Sanger sequencing of PCR amplicons from liver confirmed correctness of and completed the genome recovered from metatranscriptomic data, revealing conserved arenavirus genomic organization, length, intergenic regions, and genome termini. The newly found TCRV strain tentatively named DOM2014 clustered in a basal sister relationship to all other known TCRV strains with which it shared between 83.3%-86.0% genomic and 91.8%-93.7% translated amino acid sequence identity across protein-coding regions. DOM2014 showed a conserved glycine, proline, proline, threonine (GPPT) nucleoprotein motif, which is essential for TCRV interferon β antagonism. Our data confirm the association of TCRV with the bat genus Artibeus put into question by lethal experimental infections and scarce bat-derived TCRV genomic data. Broad genetic diversity and geographic spread require assessments of TCRV strain-associated pathogenicity, particularly for DOM2014 as a highly divergent TCRV strain. Confirmation of genomic database findings by testing original specimens provides robustness to our findings and supports the usefulness of metatranscriptomic studies. IMPORTANCE Clade B New World arenaviruses (NWA) include rodent-borne lethal hemorrhagic fever viruses, whereas Tacaribe virus (TCRV) stands out because of its detection in bats and its presumably low zoonotic potential. However, the bat association of TCRV was put into question by lethal experimental neotropical fruit bat infections and rare TCRV detection in bats. Scarce genomic data include near-identical viruses from Caribbean bats and ticks from the US sampled 50 years later. The prototype TCRV isolate used for experimental risk assessments has an extensive passage history in suckling mouse brains. Exploring the true genetic diversity, geographic distribution, and host range of bat-borne NWA is pivotal to assess their zoonotic potential and transmission cycles. We analyzed metatranscriptomic data for evidence of NWA identifying a highly divergent TCRV in bats and confirmed virus detection in original biological materials, supporting the association of TCRV with neotropical bats and warranting investigation of strain-associated TCRV pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Fischer
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Murilo Henrique Anzolini Cassiano
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - William R Thomas
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Yolanda Leon
- Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Jackeline Salazar
- Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andres Moreira-Soto
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- Tropical Disease Research Program, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Nuñez IA, Crane A, Crozier I, Worwa G, Kuhn JH. Treatment of highly virulent mammarenavirus infections-status quo and future directions. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:537-551. [PMID: 38606475 PMCID: PMC11069405 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2340494] [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: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mammarenaviruses are negative-sense bisegmented enveloped RNA viruses that are endemic in Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Several are highly virulent, causing acute human diseases associated with high case fatality rates, and are considered to be significant with respect to public health impact or bioterrorism threat. AREAS COVERED This review summarizes the status quo of treatment development, starting with drugs that are in advanced stages of evaluation in early clinical trials, followed by promising candidate medical countermeasures emerging from bench analyses and investigational animal research. EXPERT OPINION Specific therapeutic treatments for diseases caused by mammarenaviruses remain limited to the off-label use of ribavirin and transfusion of convalescent sera. Progress in identifying novel candidate medical countermeasures against mammarenavirus infection has been slow in part because of the biosafety and biosecurity requirements. However, novel methodologies and tools have enabled increasingly efficient high-throughput molecular screens of regulatory-agency-approved small-molecule drugs and led to the identification of several compounds that could be repurposed for the treatment of infection with several mammarenaviruses. Unfortunately, most of them have not yet been evaluated in vivo. The most promising treatment under development is a monoclonal antibody cocktail that is protective against multiple lineages of the Lassa virus in nonhuman primate disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivette A. Nuñez
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of
Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD21702, USA
| | - Anya Crane
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of
Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD21702, USA
| | - Ian Crozier
- Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick
National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Gabriella Worwa
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of
Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD21702, USA
| | - Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of
Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD21702, USA
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Xu M, Xu H, Wan W, Jian X, Jin R, Wang L, Wang J, Xiao G, Zhang L, Chen H, Wen Y. PDIA4 Is a Host Factor Important for Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:2343. [PMID: 38140584 PMCID: PMC10747894 DOI: 10.3390/v15122343] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian arenaviruses are rodent-borne zoonotic viruses, some of which can cause fatal hemorrhagic diseases in humans. The first discovered arenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), has a worldwide distribution and can be fatal for transplant recipients. However, no FDA-approved drugs or vaccines are currently available. In this study, using a quantitative proteomic analysis, we identified a variety of host factors that could be needed for LCMV infection, among which we found that protein disulfide isomerase A4 (PDIA4), a downstream factor of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), is important for LCMV infection. Biochemical analysis revealed that LCMV glycoprotein was the main viral component accounting for PDIA4 upregulation. The inhibition of ATF6-mediated ERS could prevent the upregulation of PDIA4 that was stimulated by LCMV infection. We further found that PDIA4 can affect the LCMV viral RNA synthesis processes and release. In summary, we conclude that PDIA4 could be a new target for antiviral drugs against LCMV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengwei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (M.X.); (W.W.); (X.J.); (G.X.); (L.Z.)
| | - Huan Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; (H.X.); (R.J.); (L.W.)
| | - Weiwei Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (M.X.); (W.W.); (X.J.); (G.X.); (L.Z.)
| | - Xiaoqin Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (M.X.); (W.W.); (X.J.); (G.X.); (L.Z.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Runming Jin
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; (H.X.); (R.J.); (L.W.)
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; (H.X.); (R.J.); (L.W.)
| | - Jingshi Wang
- Department of Hematology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100000, China;
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (M.X.); (W.W.); (X.J.); (G.X.); (L.Z.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; (M.X.); (W.W.); (X.J.); (G.X.); (L.Z.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan 430200, China
| | - Hongbo Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; (H.X.); (R.J.); (L.W.)
| | - Yuxi Wen
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; (H.X.); (R.J.); (L.W.)
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Cuypers LN, Gryseels S, Van Houtte N, Baird SJE, Sabuni CA, Katakweba AS, van den Burg SRM, Bryja J, Leirs H, Goüy de Bellocq J. Subspecific rodent taxa as the relevant host taxonomic level for mammarenavirus host specificity. Virology 2023; 581:116-127. [PMID: 36958216 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Mastomys natalensis-borne mammarenaviruses appear specific to subspecific M. natalensis taxa rather than to the whole species. Yet mammarenaviruses carried by M. natalensis are known to spill over and jump hosts in northern sub-Saharan Africa. Phylogeographic studies increasingly show that, like M. natalensis, small mammals in sub-Saharan Africa are often genetically structured into several subspecific taxa. Other mammarenaviruses may thus also form virus-subspecific host taxon associations. To investigate this, and if mammarenaviruses carried by M. natalensis in southern Africa are less prone to spill-over, we screened 1225 non-M. natalensis samples from Tanzania where many small mammal taxa meet. We found mammarenavirus RNA in 6 samples. Genetic/genomic characterisation confirmed they were not spill-over from M. natalensis. We detected host jumps among rodent tribe members and an association between mammarenaviruses and subspecific taxa of Mus minutoides and Grammomys surdaster, indicating host genetic structure may be crucial to understand virus distribution and host specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Cuypers
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium; OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Natalie Van Houtte
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stuart J E Baird
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Christopher A Sabuni
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3110 Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Abdul S Katakweba
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3110 Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Sebastiaan R M van den Burg
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
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