Abstract
Rhabdoviruses are a large and ecologically diverse family of negative-sense RNA viruses (Mononegavirales: Rhabdoviridae). These viruses are capable of infecting an unexpectedly wide variety of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates distributed over all human-inhabited continents. However, only a few rhabdoviruses are known to infect humans: a ledantevirus (Le Dantec virus), several lyssaviruses (in particular, rabies virus), and several vesiculoviruses (e.g., Chandipura virus, vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus). Recently, several novel rhabdoviruses have been discovered in the blood of both healthy and severely ill individuals living in Central and Western Africa. These viruses—Bas-Congo virus, Ekpoma virus 1, and Ekpoma virus 2—are members of the little-understood rhabdoviral genus Tibrovirus. Other than the basic genomic architecture, tibroviruses bear little resemblance to well-studied rhabdoviruses such as rabies virus and vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus. These three human tibroviruses are quite divergent from each other, and each of them clusters closely with tibroviruses currently known only from biting midges or healthy cattle. Seroprevalence studies suggest that human tibrovirus infections may be common but are almost entirely unrecognized. The pathogenic potential of this diverse group of viruses remains unknown. Although certain tibroviruses may be benign and well-adapted to humans, others could be newly emerging and produce serious disease. Here, we review the current knowledge of tibroviruses and argue that assessing their impact on human health should be an urgent priority.
Highlights
Rhabdoviriuses, the members of the mononegaviral family Rhabdoviridae, form a large and ecologically diverse group of negative-sense RNA viruses that typically produce enveloped virions.They are capable of infecting complex animals and a wide variety of plants [1,2,3,4]
Until the discovery of Bas-Congo virus (BASV) and Ekpoma virus 1 (EKV-1)/2, tibroviruses have been largely ignored because none of them appeared to produce overt disease in cattle or to be capable of infecting humans
Tibrogargan virus (TIBV), the first tibrovirus discovered, was isolated from a pool of biting midges (Culicoides brevitarsis Kieffer, 1917) that often feed on cattle
Summary
Rhabdoviriuses, the members of the mononegaviral family Rhabdoviridae, form a large and ecologically diverse group of negative-sense RNA viruses that typically produce enveloped virions They are capable of infecting complex animals (birds, fish, reptiles, mammals) and a wide variety of plants [1,2,3,4]. Chandipura virus (CHPV; genus Vesiculovirus) has caused several outbreaks of fatal encephalitis among humans in India [17,18] These outbreaks have affected hundreds of people with case fatality rates of approximately 50% [19]. Until the discovery of BASV and EKV-1/2, tibroviruses have been largely ignored because none of them appeared to produce overt disease in cattle or to be capable of infecting humans
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