The Intrapopulation Genetic Diversity of RNA Virus May Influence the Sensitivity of Chlorine Disinfection

Frontiers in Microbiology

Osamu Nishimura¹  Daisuke Sano²  Osamu Nakagomi³  Toyoko Nakagomi³  Syun-suke Kadoya⁴  Satoshi Okabe⁵  Masaaki Kitajima⁵  Takuro Nunoura⁷  Syun-ichi Urayama⁷  Miho Hirai⁸  Yoshihiro Takaki⁸ 

[1] Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan;Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan;Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan;Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan;Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan;Research Center for Bioscience and Nanoscience, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan;Super-Cutting-Edge Grand and Advanced Research Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan;

关键词: RNA virus;    disinfection;    genetic diversity;    quasispecies;    evolutionary experiment;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmicb.2022.839513

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

RNA virus populations are not clonal; rather, they comprise a mutant swarm in which sequences are slightly different from the master sequence. Genetic diversity within a population (intrapopulation genetic diversity) is critical for RNA viruses to survive under environmental stresses. Disinfection has become an important practice in the control of pathogenic viruses; however, the impact of intrapopulation genetic diversity on the sensitivity of disinfection, defined as –log10 (postdisinfected infectious titer/predisinfected titer), has not been elucidated. In this study, we serially passaged populations of rhesus rotavirus. We demonstrated that populations with reduced chlorine sensitivity emerged at random and independently of chlorine exposure. Sequencing analysis revealed that compared with sensitive populations, less-sensitive ones had higher non-synonymous genetic diversity of the outer capsid protein gene, suggesting that changes in the amino acid sequences of the outer capsid protein were the main factors influencing chlorine sensitivity. No common mutations were found among less-sensitive populations, indicating that rather than specific mutations, the diversity of the outer capsid protein itself was associated with the disinfection sensitivity and that the disinfection sensitivity changed stochastically. Simulation results suggest that the disinfection sensitivity of a genetically diverse population is destabilized if cooperative viral clusters including multiple sequences are formed. These results advocate that any prevention measures leading to low intrapopulation genetic diversity are important to prevent the spread and evolution of pathogenic RNA viruses in society.

【 授权许可】

Unknown