Host Range and Genetic Diversity of Arenaviruses in Rodents, United Kingdom (original) (raw)
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Tales of mice and men: Natural History of Arenaviruses
Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Pecuarias, 2009
Nowadays, Arenaviruses are among the most feared viruses due to their potential as weapons for bioterrorism purposes. This potential is based on their increasing diversity and the fact that they are carried by rodentswhose biologic success compares only wit insects and humans. The prototype of this family is Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus which has been and excellent tool for a myriad of discoveries in immunology. Arenaviruses have been known for over 70 years but the number of members of the family is growing thanks to their insidious subsistence in third world countries and to the nature of their genome, that makes of them sorts of skilful machines for evolution This review collects some of the work of the authors about the best-known features described for this group of viruses, among the many still-to-be discovered characteristics of this puzzling, and hard-to-study, group of zoonotic viruses.
Comparing arenavirus infection patterns in experimentally and naturally infected rodent hosts
2017
Infectious diseases of wildlife are typically studied using data on antibody and pathogen presence/level. In order to interpret these data, it is necessary to know the course of antibodies and pathogen presence/levels after infection. Such data are typically collected using experimental infection studies in which host individuals are inoculated in the laboratory and sampled over an extended period, but because laboratory conditions are controlled and much less variable than natural conditions, the immune response and pathogen dynamics may differ. Here, we compared Morogoro arenavirus infection patterns between naturally and experimentally infected multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis). Longitudinal samples were collected during three months of bi-weekly trapping in Morogoro, Tanzania, and antibody titer and viral RNA presence were determined to assess whether the natural temporal patterns are similar to those previously observed in the laboratory. A good match with laboratory data...
Virus Research, 1997
Arenaviruses are enveloped viruses with a genome composed of two ssRNA species, designated L and S. The arenaviruses were divided in two major groups (Old World and New World), based on serological properties and genetic data, as well as geographic distribution. A sequence alignment analysis of all reported arenavirus S RNAs yielded 17 conserved regions in addition to a reported conserved region at the end of both RNAs. The consensus sequences of these regions were used to design generalized primers suitable for RT-PCR amplification of a set of overlapping nucleotide sequence fragments comprising the complete S RNA of any arenavirus. A restriction analysis (RFLP) was designed to rapidly typify the amplified fragments. This RT-PCR-RFLP approach was tested with Old World (LCM) and New World (Junín and Tacaribe) arenaviruses. Furthermore, using this procedure the whole S RNA of a novel arenavirus isolate obtained from a rodent trapped in central Argentina, was amplified and characterized. Partial nucleotide sequence data were used for phylogenetic analyses that showed the relationships between this arenavirus and the rest of the members of the family. This relatively simple methodology will be useful both in basic studies and epidemiological survey programs. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Widespread arenavirus occurrence and seroprevalence in small mammals, Nigeria
Parasites & vectors, 2018
Lassa fever, killing thousands of people annually, is the most reported viral zoonotic disease in Nigeria. Recently, different rodent species carrying diverse lineages of the Lassa virus (LASV) in addition to a novel Mobala-like genetic sequence were detected within the country. Here, screening 906 small mammal specimens from 11 localities for IgG antibodies and incorporating previous PCR detection data involving the same populations, we further describe arenavirus prevalence across Nigeria in relation to host species and geographical location. Small mammals were trapped during the period 2011-2015 according to geographical location (endemic and non-endemic zones for Lassa fever), season (rainy and dry seasons between 2011 and 2012 for certain localities) and habitat (indoors, peridomestic settings and sylvatic vegetation). Identification of animal specimens from genera such as Mastomys and Mus (Nannomys) was assisted by DNA sequencing. Small mammals were tested for LASV IgG antibod...
Co-circulation of Clade C New World Arenaviruses: New geographic distribution and host species
Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 2015
Available online xxxx 25 Keywords: 26 South America arenaviruses 27 Rodent borne diseases 28 Wild rodents 29 3 0 a b s t r a c t 31 Clade C, of the New World Arenaviruses, is composed of only the Latino and Oliveros viruses and, besides 32 the geographic range of their rodent reservoirs, the distribution of these viruses has been restricted to 33 Bolivia and Argentina. In this study, the genetic detection and phylogenetic analysis of the complete S 34 segment sequences of sympatric arenaviruses from Brazil revealed a new geographic distribution of clade 35 C arenaviruses, as well as the association of Oliveros virus with a new rodent reservoir.
Past, present, and future of arenavirus taxonomy
Archives of Virology, 2015
Until recently, members of the monogeneric family Arenaviridae (arenaviruses) have been known to infect only muroid rodents and, in one case, possibly phyllostomid bats. The paradigm of arenaviruses exclusively infecting small mammals shifted dramatically when several groups independently published the detection and isolation of a divergent group of arenaviruses in captive alethinophidian snakes. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses suggest that these reptilian arenaviruses constitute a sister clade to mammalian arenaviruses. Here, the members of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Arenaviridae Study Group, together with other experts, outline the taxonomic reorganization of the family Arenaviridae to accommodate reptilian arenaviruses and other recently discovered mammalian arenaviruses and to improve compliance with the Rules of the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature (ICVCN). PAirwise Sequence Comparison (PASC) of arenavirus genomes and NP amino acid pairwise distances support the modification of the present classification. As a result, the current genus Arenavirus is replaced by two genera, Mammarenavirus and Reptarenavirus, which are established to accommodate mammalian and reptilian arenaviruses, respectively, in the same family. The current species landscape among mammalian arenaviruses is upheld, with two new species added for Lunk and Merino Walk viruses and minor corrections to the spelling of some names. The published snake arenaviruses are distributed among three new separate reptarenavirus species. Finally, a non-Latinized binomial species name scheme is adopted for all arenavirus species. In addition, the current virus abbreviations have been evaluated, and some changes are
Hantavirus and arenavirus antibody prevalence in rodents and humans in Trentino, Northern Italy
Epidemiology and Infection, 2005
The spatial and temporal distribution of hantavirus and arenavirus antibody-positive wild rodents in Trentino, Italy, was studied using immunofluorescence assays (IFA) in two long-term sites trapped in 2000–2003, and six other sites trapped in 2002. The overall hantavirus seroprevalence in the bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus (n=229) screened for Puumala virus (PUUV) antibodies was 0·4%, and that for Apodemus flavicollis mice (n=1416) screened for Dobrava virus (DOBV) antibodies was 0·2%. Antibodies against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) were found in 82 (5·6%) of the 1472 tested rodents; the seroprevalence being 6·1% in A. flavicollis (n=1181), 3·3% in C. glareolus (n=276), and 14·3% in Microtus arvalis (n=7). Of the serum samples of 488 forestry workers studied by IFA, 12 were LCMV-IgG positive (2·5%) and one DOBV-IgG positive (0·2%), however, the latter could not be confirmed DOBV-specific with a neutralization assay. Our results show a widespread distribution but l...