scholarly journals A new Hendra virus genotype found in Australian flying foxes

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianning Wang ◽  
Danielle E. Anderson ◽  
Kim Halpin ◽  
Xiao Hong ◽  
Honglei Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hendra virus (HeV) has caused lethal disease outbreaks in humans and horses in Australia. Flying foxes are the wildlife reservoir from which the virus was first isolated in 1996. Following a heat stress mortality event in Australian flying foxes in 2013, a novel HeV variant was discovered. This study describes the subsequent surveillance of Australian flying foxes for this novel virus over a nine year period using qRT-PCR testing of tissues from flying foxes submitted primarily for Australian bat lyssavirus diagnosis. Genome sequencing and characterisation of the novel HeV variant was also undertaken. Methods Spleen and kidney samples harvested from flying fox carcasses were initially screened with two real-time qRT-PCR assays specific for the prototype HeV. Two additional qRT-PCR assays were developed specific for the HeV variant first detected in samples from a flying fox in 2013. Next-generation sequencing and virus isolation was attempted from selected samples to further characterise the new virus. Results Since 2013, 98 flying foxes were tested and 11 were positive for the new HeV variant. No samples were positive for the original HeV. Ten of the positive samples were from grey-headed flying foxes (GHFF, Pteropus poliocephalus), however this species was over-represented in the opportunistic sampling (83% of bats tested were GHFF). The positive GHFF samples were collected from Victoria and South Australia and one positive Little red flying fox (LRFF, Pteropus scapulatus) was collected from Western Australia. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of henipavirus antigen, associated with an inflammatory lesion in cardiac blood vessels of one GHFF. Positive samples were sequenced and the complete genome was obtained from three samples. When compared to published HeV genomes, there was 84% sequence identity at the nucleotide level. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the newly detected HeV belongs to the HeV species but occupies a distinct lineage. We have therefore designated this virus HeV genotype 2 (HeV-g2). Attempts to isolate virus from PCR positive samples have not been successful. Conclusions A novel HeV genotype (HeV-g2) has been identified in two flying fox species submitted from three states in Australia, indicating that the level of genetic diversity for HeV is broader than first recognised. Given its high genetic relatedness to HeV, HeV-g2 is a zoonotic pathogen.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianning Wang ◽  
Danielle E Anderson ◽  
Kim Halpin ◽  
Xiao Hong ◽  
Honglei Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hendra virus (HeV) has caused lethal disease outbreaks in humans and horses in Australia. Pteropid bats (flying foxes) are the wildlife reservoir from which the virus was first isolated in 1996. Following a heat stress mortality event in Australian flying foxes in 2013, a novel HeV variant was discovered. This study describes the subsequent surveillance of Australian flying foxes for this novel virus over a nine year period using qRT-PCR testing of bat tissues submitted primarily for Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) diagnosis. Genome sequencing and characterisation of the novel HeV variant was also undertaken. Methods Spleen and kidney samples harvested from flying fox carcasses were initially screened with two real-time qRT-PCR assays specific for the prototype HeV. Two additional qRT-PCR assays were developed specific for the HeV variant first detected in samples from a flying fox in 2013. Next-generation sequencing and virus isolation was attempted from selected samples to further characterise the new virus. Results Since 2013, 98 flying foxes were tested and 11 were positive for the new HeV variant. No samples were positive for the original HeV. Ten of the positive samples were from grey-headed flying foxes (GHFF, Pteropus poliocephalus), however this species was over-represented in the opportunistic sampling (83% of bats tested were GHFF). The positive GHFF samples were collected from Victoria and South Australia and one positive Little red flying fox (LRFF, Pteropus scapulatus) was collected from Western Australia. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) confirmed the presence of henipavirus antigen, associated with an inflammatory lesion in cardiac blood vessels of one GHFF. Positive samples were sequenced and the complete genome was obtained from three samples. When compared to published HeV genomes, there was 84% sequence identity at the nucleotide level. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the newly detected HeV belongs to the HeV species but occupies a distinct lineage. We have therefore designated this virus HeV genotype 2 (HeV-G2). Attempts to isolate virus from PCR positive samples have not been successful. Conclusions A novel HeV genotype (HeV-G2) has been identified in two flying fox species submitted from three states in Australia, indicating that the level of genetic diversity for HeV is broader than first recognised. Given its high genetic relatedness to HeV, HeV-G2 should be considered a zoonotic pathogen.


2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1725) ◽  
pp. 3703-3712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raina K. Plowright ◽  
Patrick Foley ◽  
Hume E. Field ◽  
Andy P. Dobson ◽  
Janet E. Foley ◽  
...  

Anthropogenic environmental change is often implicated in the emergence of new zoonoses from wildlife; however, there is little mechanistic understanding of these causal links. Here, we examine the transmission dynamics of an emerging zoonotic paramyxovirus, Hendra virus (HeV), in its endemic host, Australian Pteropus bats (fruit bats or flying foxes). HeV is a biosecurity level 4 (BSL-4) pathogen, with a high case-fatality rate in humans and horses. With models parametrized from field and laboratory data, we explore a set of probable contributory mechanisms that explain the spatial and temporal pattern of HeV emergence; including urban habituation and decreased migration—two widely observed changes in flying fox ecology that result from anthropogenic transformation of bat habitat in Australia. Urban habituation increases the number of flying foxes in contact with human and domestic animal populations, and our models suggest that, in addition, decreased bat migratory behaviour could lead to a decline in population immunity, giving rise to more intense outbreaks after local viral reintroduction. Ten of the 14 known HeV outbreaks occurred near urbanized or sedentary flying fox populations, supporting these predictions. We also demonstrate that by incorporating waning maternal immunity into our models, the peak modelled prevalence coincides with the peak annual spill-over hazard for HeV. These results provide the first detailed mechanistic framework for understanding the sporadic temporal pattern of HeV emergence, and of the urban/peri-urban distribution of HeV outbreaks in horses and people.


2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 2452-2456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Njouom ◽  
Eric Frost ◽  
Sylvie Deslandes ◽  
Fleurie Mamadou-Yaya ◽  
Annie-Claude Labbé ◽  
...  

The molecular epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the Central African Republic (CAR) is poorly documented. Thus, we conducted phylogenetic analyses of NS5B gene sequences from 58 HCV-infected inhabitants of a remote area of south-west CAR, which indicated that 48 (82.8 %) were infected with genotype 4 (HCV-4), five (8.6 %) with genotype 2 and five (8.6 %) with genotype 1. HCV-4 strains were highly heterogeneous, containing previously described subtypes 4k (48 %), 4c (27 %), 4r (4 %), 4f (4 %) and unclassified subtypes (17 %). To estimate the epidemic history of these HCV-4 strains, an evolutionary analysis using the coalescent approach was used. The estimated date of the most recent common ancestor of the CAR HCV-4 strains was 1539 (95 % confidence intervals, 1317–1697). They exhibited a rapid, exponential spread from 1935 to 1965, simultaneously with what was recently reported in neighbouring Cameroon and Gabon. The hypothesis of a massive iatrogenic transmission during interventions for the control of endemic tropical diseases is discussed.


Author(s):  
Po‐Yueh Chen ◽  
Hsin‐Yi Yang ◽  
Chu‐Kuang Chou ◽  
Li‐Jen Chang ◽  
Ming‐Tse Hsu ◽  
...  

Virus Genes ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 738-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Woo Moon ◽  
Byung-Woo Lee ◽  
Haan Woo Sung ◽  
Byung-Il Yoon ◽  
Hyuk Moo Kwon

Author(s):  
Sadia Salahuddin ◽  
Joharia Azhar ◽  
Hasham Akhtar ◽  
Jabbar Khan ◽  
Noor Muhammad

Abstract Objectives: To molecularly characterise the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus genotypes and Pashtun ethnicity. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to December 2019 after approval from the Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, and comprised blood samples from transgender sex workers who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus-1 and seronegative for human immunodeficiency virus residing in two cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Islamabad, the federal capital. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were collected retrospectively, but collection of blood samples from the study subjects was purely on the basis of physical availability. ?-globin gene and EBER-1 were amplified for qualitative assessment and existence of Epstein-Barr virus. Characterisation of EBNA-2 was done through nested polymerase chain reaction. Results: Of the 80 subjects, 40(50%) each were seropositive and seronegative individuals. The overall mean age was 28±6.917 years. Among the seropositive group, 38(95%) were homosexual and 2(5%) were heterosexual. Among the seropositive group, 16(40%) had Epstein-Barr virus genotype 1 and 6(15%) had genotype 2, while co-infections were found in 2(5%) subjects. In the seronegative group, 36(90%) subjects had Epstein-Barr virus genotype 1, while there was no case of genotype 2 or co-infection. EBV-2 genotypes with HIV seropositivity showed strong association (p=0.005). Amplification for the EBER-1 gene was done in all the 80(100%) samples. Conclusion: Epstein-Barr virus EBV genotype 1 was found to be the most frequent type, while genotype 2 and co-infections were detected only seropositive samples. Continuous...


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Cláudia Baumel Mongruel ◽  
Priscila Ikeda ◽  
Keyla Carstens Marques de Sousa ◽  
Jyan Lucas Benevenute ◽  
Margarete Kimie Falbo ◽  
...  

Abstract Arthropod-borne pathogens are medically important because of their ability to cause diseases in their hosts. The purpose of this study was to detect the occurrence of Ehrlichia spp., piroplasmids and Hepatozoon spp. in dogs with anemia and thrombocytopenia in southern Brazil. EDTA-whole blood was collected from 75 domestic dogs presenting anemia or/and thrombocytopenia from Guarapuava, state of Paraná, Brazil. DNA samples were subjected to conventional PCR assays for Ehrlichia spp. (dsb), piroplasmids (18S rRNA) and Hepatozoon spp. (18S rRNA), followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. Among the 75 dogs, one (1.33%) was positive for Hepatozoon sp. and six (8%) were positive for piroplasmids in 18S rRNA cPCR assays. None of the dogs showed positive results in Ehrlichia spp.-cPCR targeting dsb gene. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that three piroplasm sequences were clustered with Rangellia vitalii, while one sequence was grouped with B. vogeli. The only sequence obtained from Hepatozoon spp.-PCR protocol was pooled with H. canis. Therefore, there is urgent need for differential molecular diagnosis of the two piroplasm species cited as etiological agents in clinical cases of canine hemoparasitic diseases, given the higher pathogenic potential of R. vitalii than of B. vogeli.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1924-1930
Author(s):  
Sherin Reda Rouby ◽  
Abdel-Hamid Bazid ◽  
Momtaz Wasfy ◽  
Magdy El-Sayed

Background and Aim: Lumpy skin disease (LSD) and sheep pox are economically important Capripoxvirus-induced diseases of cattle and sheep, respectively. Despite the extensive vaccination program adopted by Egyptian veterinary authorities, LSD and sheep pox are still prevalent and spread throughout the whole country. The current study was designed for molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of LSD virus (LSDV) and Sheep pox virus (SPPV) recovered from field cases in Egypt along with vaccinal strains to assess their genetic relatedness. Materials and Methods: Skin biopsies were collected from naturally infected cases of LSD in Ismailia (n=3 farms) and Beni-Suef (n=2 farms) Governorates and sheep pox in Beni-Suef (n=1 flock). Virus isolation was carried out on primary ovine fetal kidney and heart cell cultures. DNA was extracted from infected materials (skin lesions, infected cell cultures) as well as LSDV Neethling vaccine strain and Romanian SPPV vaccine strain. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using oligonucleotide primers targeting the entire open reading frame of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) gene and gene sequences were analyzed. Results: Virus isolation on primary ovine fetal kidney and heart cell culture revealed a cytopathic effect at the third passage characterized by rounding of infected cells and margination of nuclear chromatin. Comparative sequence analysis of GPCR gene revealed that Egyptian LSDV isolated from Ismailia and Beni-Suef shared 99:100% nucleotide and amino acid (AA) identities with each other. In comparison to the vaccinal strains, Egyptian LSDV isolates shared 98:99 nucleotide and AA identities with LSDV Neethling vaccine strain and 93:94% with SPPV Romanian vaccine strain. No differences at the nucleotide or AAs were observed between the SPPV vaccine and virulent strains (100% identity). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that LSDV Neethling vaccine strain is more related to field Egyptian LSDV and clustered within the LSDV group while Romanian SPPV vaccine strain clustered in a separate clade with SPPV field isolates. Conclusion: Comparative sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the GPCR gene reveal a minimal genetic variation between LSDV field isolates from different locations and a close relationship between virulent field strains and homologous vaccines.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document