Evolutionary Relationships of Ljungan Virus Variants Circulating in Multi-Host Systems across Europe

Viruses

Heidi C. Hauffe¹  Cristina Fevola¹  Chiara Rossi¹  Nicola Zadra¹  René Kallies²  Birger Hörnfeldt³  Frauke Ecke³  Gert E. Olsson³  Magnus Magnusson³  Anne J. Jääskeläinen⁴  Rainer G. Ulrich⁵  Maria Kazimirova⁶  Heikki Henttonen⁷ 

[1] Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, TN, Italy;Department of Environmental Microbiology Working Group Microbial Interaction Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden;HUS Diagnostic Center, HUSLAB, Clinical Microbiology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, FI-00029 Helsinki, Finland;Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany;Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Zoology, 845 06 Bratislava, Slovakia;Wildlife Ecology, Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland;

关键词: Picornaviridae;    Parechovirus B;    Ljungan virus isolates;    small mammals;    rodent-borne virus;    zoonosis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/v13071317

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The picornavirus named ‘Ljungan virus’ (LV, species Parechovirus B) has been detected in a dozen small mammal species from across Europe, but detailed information on its genetic diversity and host specificity is lacking. Here, we analyze the evolutionary relationships of LV variants circulating in free-living mammal populations by comparing the phylogenetics of the VP1 region (encoding the capsid protein and associated with LV serotype) and the 3D^pol region (encoding the RNA polymerase) from 24 LV RNA-positive animals and a fragment of the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) sequence (used for defining strains) in sympatric small mammals. We define three new VP1 genotypes: two in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) (genotype 8 from Finland, Sweden, France, and Italy, and genotype 9 from France and Italy) and one in field voles (Microtus arvalis) (genotype 7 from Finland). There are several other indications that LV variants are host-specific, at least in parts of their range. Our results suggest that LV evolution is rapid, ongoing and affected by genetic drift, purifying selection, spillover and host evolutionary history. Although recent studies suggest that LV does not have zoonotic potential, its widespread geographical and host distribution in natural populations of well-characterized small mammals could make it useful as a model for studying RNA virus evolution and transmission.

【 授权许可】

Unknown