| Autor: |
Rossi C; Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy., Zadra N; Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy., Fevola C; Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy.; Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, FI-00029 Helsinki, Finland., Ecke F; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden., Hörnfeldt B; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden., Kallies R; Department of Environmental Microbiology Working Group Microbial Interaction Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany., Kazimirova M; Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Zoology, 845 06 Bratislava, Slovakia., Magnusson M; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden., Olsson GE; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden.; Unit for Nature Conservation, County Administrative Board of Halland County, 301 86 Halmstad, Sweden., Ulrich RG; Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany., Jääskeläinen AJ; HUS Diagnostic Center, HUSLAB, Clinical Microbiology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, FI-00029 Helsinki, Finland., Henttonen H; Wildlife Ecology, Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland., Hauffe HC; Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy. |
| Abstrakt: |
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. |
