Abstract
The S segment of bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)-associated Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) contains two overlapping open reading frames coding for the nucleocapsid (N) and a non-structural (NSs) protein. To identify the influence of bank vole population dynamics on PUUV S segment sequence evolution and test for spillover infections in sympatric rodent species, during 2010–2014, 883 bank voles, 357 yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), 62 wood mice (A. sylvaticus), 149 common voles (Microtus arvalis) and 8 field voles (M. agrestis) were collected in Baden-Wuerttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In total, 27.9% and 22.3% of bank voles were positive for PUUV-reactive antibodies and PUUV-specific RNA, respectively. One of eight field voles was PUUV RNA-positive, indicating a spillover infection, but none of the other species showed evidence of PUUV infection. Phylogenetic and isolation-by-distance analyses demonstrated a spatial clustering of PUUV S segment sequences. In the hantavirus outbreak years 2010 and 2012, PUUV RNA prevalence was higher in our study regions compared to non-outbreak years 2011, 2013 and 2014. NSs amino acid and nucleotide sequence types showed temporal and/or local variation, whereas the N protein was highly conserved in the NSs overlapping region and, to a lower rate, in the N alone coding part.
Highlights
The family Hantaviridae, order Bunyavirales, comprises rodent, insectivore and bat-borne viruses.The enveloped virion of about 80–120 nm in diameter contains three genome segments of single-strandedRNA with negative polarity [1]
We investigated the extent of local transmission and evolution of Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) by testing for isolation-by-distance patterns [19] within and among the sampling regions in BW and North Rhine-Westphalia (NW)
The persistence of sequence types over time and the emergence of novel sequence types might be explained by bottleneck event-driven genetic drift or selection processes in the bank vole population that shape the genetic diversity of PUUV
Summary
The family Hantaviridae, order Bunyavirales, comprises rodent, insectivore and bat-borne viruses.The enveloped virion of about 80–120 nm in diameter contains three genome segments of single-strandedRNA with negative polarity [1]. The medium (M) segment encodes the glycoprotein precursor that is co-translationally. Pathogens 2020, 9, 548 processed and cleaved into the two glycoproteins, Gn and Gc. The small (S) segment encodes the nucleocapsid (N) protein, which is the most abundant hantaviral protein. The S segment of Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) and other vole-associated hantaviruses encodes, in a second, overlapping open reading frame (ORF), a non-structural (NSs) protein. This NSs protein was shown to be functional and involved in suppression of interferon production and related mechanisms for antiviral activity [3]. Recent studies in Lower Saxony, Germany, confirmed the conservation of a putative NSs-ORF in PUUV strains concerning its position within the S segment and length of 270 nucleotides [4,5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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.
