Abstract
BackgroundCulex Flavivirus (CxFV) is an insect-specific virus that is widely distributed and primarily infects mosquito species from the genus Culex. Its hosts include Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles sinensis mosquitoes. Since its original identification, CxFV has been reported in several countries. Despite the increasing number of reports on CxFV, little is known about its genomic characteristics. It is unclear whether the phylogenetic relationships between the strains are influenced by host species and geographic location.ResultsWe characterized the Brazilian CxFV strain and performed a comprehensive genetic and phylogenetic characterization of CxFV based on all ORF sequences described so far. Our results revealed that the Brazilian strain is in a monophyletic clade with the Mexican strain. Overall, selective pressure indicates that the ORF is undergoing purifying selection.ConclusionsThe phylogenetic analysis revealed a strong association between climate and CxFV ancestry. Also, based on phylogeny and the genetic distance between the main branches of the tree, we propose the classification of the available sequences into two different genotypes. We also suggest the existence of two different subtypes within Genotype 1.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-016-0614-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Culex Flavivirus (CxFV) is an insect-specific virus that is widely distributed and primarily infects mosquito species from the genus Culex
Culex Flavivirus (CxFV) strain According to report published previously by this research group [14], The CxFV strain obtained in this study was derived from Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, collected between April 2007 and January 2008, in the city of São José do Rio Preto (SJRP)
After the third passage pools were tested with primers specific for Culex Flavivirus (CxFV), Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV), and West Nile Virus (WNV) [14]
Summary
Culex Flavivirus (CxFV) is an insect-specific virus that is widely distributed and primarily infects mosquito species from the genus Culex. Despite the increasing number of reports on CxFV, little is known about its genomic characteristics It is unclear whether the phylogenetic relationships between the strains are influenced by host species and geographic location. Flaviviruses are well known for causing important mosquito-borne human diseases They are transmitted between arthropods and vertebrates, and are capable of replicating in both hosts. The isolation of other insect-specific viruses has been reported [2,3,4,5] One of these insect-specific viruses is Culex Flavivirus (CxFV), an insect-specific virus that was first identified in 2007 in Culex pipiens mosquitoes [6].
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