Abstract
Previous imported cases of Lassa fever (LF) into the United Kingdom from the Ivory Coast and Mali, as well as the detection of Lassa virus (LASV) among the Mastomys natalensis population within Mali has led to the suggestion that the endemic area for LF is expanding. Initial phylogenetic analyses arrange isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast separately from the classical lineage IV isolates taken from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The availability of full genome sequences continues to increase, allowing for a more complete phylogenetic comparison of the isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast to the other existing isolates. In this study, we utilized a Bayesian approach to infer the demographic histories of each LASV isolate for which the full sequence was available. Our results indicate that the isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast group separately from the isolates of lineage IV, comprising a distinct fifth lineage. The split between lineages IV and V is estimated to have occurred around 200–300 years ago, which coincides with the colonial period of West Africa.
Highlights
Lassa virus (LASV) is the causative agent of Lassa fever (LF), a potentially fatal disease that infects as many as 100,000 people annually in endemic areas
In order to completely characterize the relationships of isolates within Mali and the Ivory Coast to the other classical isolates, we aligned the fulllength open reading frames for glycoprotein precursor (GPC), NP, and LP and conducted a phylogenetic analysis utilizing the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach (MrBayes v3.2.5) for each gene
Analysis of both the NP and GPC genes produced phylogenetic trees (Figure 1) that resemble the traditional grouping of the four lineages, with lineage I (Pinneo) creating the most basal lineage
Summary
Lassa virus (LASV) is the causative agent of Lassa fever (LF), a potentially fatal disease that infects as many as 100,000 people annually in endemic areas. Since the discovery of the virus in 1969, the endemic area for LASV has been mapped to the West African countries of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia (Ogbu et al, 2007). Phylogenetic analyses of either partial or full-length LASV protein sequences have revealed that four lineages exist among LASV isolates. With full-length LASV sequences becoming more readily available, more extensive phylogenetic analyses utilizing full-length genes over a longer time frame can be performed, allowing for more complete characterization of each individual lineage
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
