Characterization of a novel thogotovirus isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium ticks in Ehime, Japan: A significant phylogenetic relationship to Bourbon virus

Hiroko Ejiri; Chang-Kweng Lim; Haruhiko Isawa; Ryosuke Fujita; Katsunori Murota; Tomomi Sato; Daisuke Kobayashi; Miki Kan; Masashi Hattori; Toshiya Kimura; Yukie Yamaguchi; Mutsuyo Takayama-Ito; Madoka Horiya; Guillermo Posadas-Herrera; Shohei Minami; Ryusei Kuwata; Hiroshi Shimoda; Ken Maeda; Yukie Katayama; Tetsuya Mizutani; Masayuki Saijo; Koki Kaku; Hiroto Shinomiya; Kyoko Sawabe

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2018.03.004

Characterization of a novel thogotovirus isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium ticks in Ehime, Japan: A significant phylogenetic relationship to Bourbon virus

Virus Res. 2018 Apr 2:249:57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2018.03.004. Epub 2018 Mar 13.

Authors

Hiroko Ejiri¹, Chang-Kweng Lim², Haruhiko Isawa³, Ryosuke Fujita⁴, Katsunori Murota⁵, Tomomi Sato⁶, Daisuke Kobayashi⁶, Miki Kan⁷, Masashi Hattori⁷, Toshiya Kimura⁷, Yukie Yamaguchi², Mutsuyo Takayama-Ito², Madoka Horiya², Guillermo Posadas-Herrera², Shohei Minami⁸, Ryusei Kuwata⁸, Hiroshi Shimoda⁸, Ken Maeda⁸, Yukie Katayama⁹, Tetsuya Mizutani⁹, Masayuki Saijo², Koki Kaku¹⁰, Hiroto Shinomiya⁷, Kyoko Sawabe¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan; Division of infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Control, National Defense Medical Research Institute, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.
² Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
³ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. Electronic address: hisawa@nih.go.jp.
⁴ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan; Department of Research Promotion, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, 20F Yomiuri Shimbun Bldg. 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan; Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Creative Research Institution, Hokkaido University, Kita 21 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan.
⁵ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan; Department of Research Promotion, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, 20F Yomiuri Shimbun Bldg. 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan.
⁶ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
⁷ Ehime Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Science, 8-234 Sanban-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0003, Japan.
⁸ Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan.
⁹ Research and Education Center for Prevention of Global Infectious Disease of Animal, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
¹⁰ Division of infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Control, National Defense Medical Research Institute, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan; Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan. Electronic address: sawabe@nih.go.jp.

PMID: 29548745
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2018.03.004

Abstract

The genus Thogotovirus, as represented by Thogoto virus and Dhori virus, comprises a group of arthropod-borne viruses, most members of which are transmitted by ticks. Here we report the genetic and biological characterization of a new thogotovirus, designated Oz virus (OZV), isolated from the hard tick Amblyomma testudinarium in Ehime, Japan. OZV efficiently replicated and induced a cytopathic effect in Vero cells, from which enveloped pleomorphic virus particles were formed by budding. OZV could also replicate in BHK-21 and DH82 cells and caused high mortality in suckling mice after intracerebral inoculation. Phylogenetic analyses of six viral proteins indicated that OZV is clustered with Dhori and related viruses, and is most closely related in glycoprotein (GP) and matrix protein (M) sequences to Bourbon virus, a human-pathogenic thogotovirus discovered recently in the United States. Our findings emphasize the need for understanding the geographic distribution and ecology of OZV and related viruses and for reevaluation of the medical and public health importance of thogotoviruses.

Keywords: Amblyomma testudinarium; Thogotovirus; Tick-borne virus; Whole-genome analysis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Line
Cluster Analysis
Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral
Disease Models, Animal
Ixodidae / virology*
Japan
Mice
Orthomyxoviridae Infections / pathology
Orthomyxoviridae Infections / virology
Phylogeny*
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sequence Homology
Thogotovirus / classification*
Thogotovirus / genetics
Thogotovirus / isolation & purification*
Thogotovirus / physiology
Viral Proteins / genetics
Virus Cultivation
Virus Release
Virus Replication

Substances

Viral Proteins