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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Phylogenetic analysis of the Arenaviridae: patterns of virus evolution and evidence for cospeciation between arenaviruses and their rodent hosts.

Viruses of the Arenaviridae cause hemorrhagic fevers and neurologic disease in humans. Historically, the arenaviruses have been divided into two complexes (LASV-LCMV, Tacaribe) through the use of antigenic typing. The phylogeny of the Arenaviridae as a whole has not been estimated previously due to a lack of sequence data for all members of the family. In this study, nucleocapsid protein gene sequence data were obtained for all currently known arenaviruses and used to estimate, for the first time, a phylogeny of the entire virus family. The LCMV-LASV complex arenaviruses are monophyletic and comprise three distinct lineages. The Tacaribe complex viruses also are monophyletic and occupy three distinct lineages. Comparisons of arenavirus phylogeny with rodent host phylogeny and taxonomic relationships provide several examples in which virus-host cospeciation is potentially occurring. The pathogenic arenaviruses do not appear to be monophyletic, suggesting that the pathogenic phenotype has arisen in multiple independent events during virus evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Electron microscopy and antigenic studies of uncharacterized viruses. I. Evidence suggesting the placement of viruses in families Arenaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, or Poxviridae.

During approximately 35 years, investigators in various laboratories studying arbovirus ecology and epidemiology accumulated many virus isolates, more than 60 of which were not characterized or placed in taxa. By a combination of electron microscopic and antigenic studies we collected information sufficient to provisionally classify 60 isolates. Electron microscopic observations suggest that 20 are members of the virus family Bunyaviridae, 20 Rhabdoviridae, 14 Reoviridae, one Togaviridae, one Paramyxoviridae (Mapuera virus, from a bat), and one Poxviridae (Yoka virus, from mosquitoes). Serologic studies provided evidence sufficient to place some of these viruses in recognized antigenic groups, within families and genera, and to establish new antigenic groups and taxa for others. Three viruses were found to have morphologic and morphogenetic characteristics consistent with those of members of the family Arenaviridae: Quaranfil virus, a human pathogen, Johnston Atoll virus, isolated from birds and ticks, and Araguari virus, isolated from an opossum. This, the first in a series of three papers, described methods used for these investigations and also presents descriptions of viruses provisionally placed in the families Arenaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, or Poxviridae. Descriptions of viruses provisionally placed in families Bunyaviridae and Reoviridae are published in the second and third papers, respectively. Viruses of the family Rhabdoviridae have been described separately.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Nucleotide sequence of the pirital virus (family Arenaviridae) small genomic segment.

Pirital virus is a newly discovered South American member of the family Arenaviridae. We determined that the complete nucleotide sequence of the small genomic segment of Pirital virus is 3393 nt long, and encodes the viral nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein precursor (GPC) (561 aa and 509 aa, respectively) in nonoverlapping open reading frames of opposite polarities. The N and GPC genes are separated by an intergenic region that is 80 nt long; the predicted secondary structure of this region includes a single hairpin stabilized by 11 G-C and 8 A-U base pairs. Independent analyses of N and GPC amino acid sequence data confirmed that Pirital virus is related to Pichindé virus and belongs to the lineage A of the New World (Tacaribe complex) arenaviruses. The analysis of genetic distances between Pirital virus and other arenaviruses confirmed that Pirital virus is a distinct species within the family Arenaviridae.

Arenavirus↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Laboratory-acquired human infection with SP H 114202 virus (Arenavirus: Arenaviridae family): clinical and laboratory aspects].

Here in is described the clinical and laboratorial findings of a laboratory-acquired infection caused by the virus SP H 114202 (Arenavirus, family Arenaviridae) a recently discovered agent responsible for a viral hemorrhagic fever. The patient was sick for 13 days. The disease had an abrupt onset characterized by high fever (39 degree C.), headache, chills and myalgias for 8 days. In addition, on the 3rd day, the patient developed nausea and vomiting, and in the 10th, epigastralgia, diarrhea and gengivorrhagia. Leucopenia was seen within the 1st week of onset, with counts as low as 2,500 white cells per mm3. Counts performed after the 23rd day of the onset were within normal limits. With the exception of moderate lymphocytosis, no changes were observed in differential counts. An increase in the titer of antibodies by complement fixation, neutralization and ELISA (IgM) was detected. Suckling mice and baby hamsters were inoculated intracerebrally with 0.02 ml of blood samples collected in the 2nd and 7th days of disease. Attempts to isolate the virus were also made in Vero cells. No virus was isolated. This virus was isolated before in a single occasion in São Paulo State, in 1990, from the blood of a patient with hemorrhagic fever with a fatal outcome. The manipulation of the virus under study, must be done carefully, since the transmission can occur through aerosols.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Experimental infection of the cane mouse Zygodontomys brevicauda (family Muridae) with guanarito virus (Arenaviridae), the etiologic agent of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever.

Chronic infections in specific rodents appear to be crucial to the long-term persistence of arenaviruses in nature. The cane mouse, Zygodontomys brevicauda, is a natural host of Guanarito virus (family Arenaviridae), the etiologic agent of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the natural history of Guanarito virus infection in Z. brevicauda. Thirty-nine laboratory-reared cane mice each were inoculated subcutaneously with 3.0 log10 plaque-forming units of the Guanarito virus prototype strain INH-95551. No lethality was associated with infection in any animal, regardless of age at inoculation. The 13 newborn, 14 weanling, and 8 of the 12 adult animals developed chronic viremic infections characterized by persistent shedding of infectious virus in oropharyngeal secretions and urine. These findings indicate that Guanarito virus infection in Z. brevicauda can be chronic and thus support the concept that this rodent species is the natural reservoir of Guanarito virus.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The Whitewater Arroyo virus: natural evidence for genetic recombination among Tacaribe serocomplex viruses (family Arenaviridae).

The Tacaribe serocomplex (family Arenaviridae) comprises three phylogenetic lineages, designated A, B, and C. The sequence of a 3278-nt fragment of the small genomic segment of the Whitewater Arroyo (WWA) virus was determined to extend our knowledge on the phylogenetic relationship of this newly discovered North American Tacaribe complex virus to other arenaviruses. Independent analyses of full-length nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein precursor (GPC) amino acid sequences indicated that the WWA virus N and GPC genes are descended from a lineage A virus and lineage B virus, respectively. The different phylogenetic histories of the N and GPC genes indicate that the WWA virus genome is a product of recombination between two Tacaribe complex viruses.

Arenaviruses, New World↗
PubMed1994

Description of Guanarito virus (Arenaviridae: Arenavirus), the etiologic agent of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever.

This paper characterizes Guanarito virus, the etiologic agent of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever. Based on its morphology and antigenic properties, Guanarito virus appears to be a new member of the Tacaribe complex of the genus Arenavirus, family Arenaviridae. Complement fixation and indirect fluorescent antibody tests showed that Guanarito virus and its antiserum are broadly cross-reactive with other members of the Tacaribe complex, but it can be differentiated from other members of the complex by neutralization test. Guanarito virus causes mortality in suckling mice and adult guinea pigs, but not in adult mice. Inoculated rhesus monkeys developed viremia and became ill; however, they subsequently recovered and responded with production of antibody. To date, all isolates of Guanarito virus have come from sick persons or wild rodents living within a single geographic focus in the central plains of Venezuela.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Characterization of Oliveros virus, a new member of the Tacaribe complex (Arenaviridae: Arenavirus).

Oliveros virus is an agent isolated in cell culture from Bolomys obscurus (Rodentia, Muridae, Sigmodontinae) captured on the central Argentine pampa. Oliveros virus was shown to be related to members of the Tacaribe complex of the family Arenaviridae by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) tests, electrophoretic pattern of viral proteins, and morphology as observed by electron microscopy. It was distinct from 12 other arenaviruses by a combination of plaque-reduction neutralization tests, comparison of endpoint titers among cross-IFA tests, and comparison of viral RNA sequence data. This agent is the third new arenavirus from South America described within the last three years.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Natural rodent host associations of Guanarito and pirital viruses (Family Arenaviridae) in central Venezuela.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the natural rodent host relationships of Guanarito and Pirital viruses (family Arenaviridae) in the plains of central Venezuela. Ninety-two arenavirus isolates from 607 animals, representing 10 different rodent species, were characterized to the level of serotype. The 92 isolates comprised 19 Guanarito virus strains and 73 Pirital virus strains. The 19 Guanarito virus isolates were from Zygodontomys brevicauda; 72 (98.6%) of the 73 Pirital virus isolates were from Sigmodon alstoni. These results indicate that the natural rodent associations of these 2 sympatric arenaviruses are highly specific and that Z brevicauda and S. alstoni are the principal rodent hosts of Guanarito and Pirital viruses, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Extreme genetic diversity among Pirital virus (Arenaviridae) isolates from western Venezuela.

Pirital-like virus isolates from rodents collected in a variety of habitats within a six-state area of central Venezuela were analyzed genetically by amplifying a portion of the nucleocapsid protein gene using RT-PCR. Comparisons of the sequences from 30 selected Pirital-like virus isolates demonstrated up to 26% divergence in nucleotide sequences and up to 16% divergence in deduced amino acid sequences. Within the Pirital monophyletic group, 14 distinct lineages or genotypes, differing by at least 6% in nucleotide sequences, were identified. Although sample sizes were small for some lineages, many of the different genotypes were sampled in only one region or locality, suggesting allopatric divergence. Complement fixation tests with representatives of the most divergent Pirital virus lineages failed to delineate multiple species or subtypes within the Pirital clade. These results indicate that the previously proposed 12% nucleocapsid protein amino acid sequence divergence cutoff value for delineating arenavirus species is not appropriate for the entire family. When individual clones were examined from PCR amplicons, a mean of 0.17% sequence diversity vs the consensus sequences was detected, suggesting diverse quasispecies populations within infected rodent hosts. Possible explanations for the extreme genetic diversity within and among Pirital virus populations in infected rodents are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Molecular organization of Junin virus S RNA: complete nucleotide sequence, relationship with other members of the Arenaviridae and unusual secondary structures.

In this study, overlapping cDNA clones covering the entire S RNA molecule of Junin virus, an arenavirus that causes Argentine haemorrhagic fever, were generated. The complete sequence of this 3400 nucleotide RNA was determined using the dideoxynucleotide chain termination method. The nucleocapsid protein (N) and the glycoprotein precursor (GPC) genes were identified as two non-overlapping open reading frames of opposite polarity, encoding primary translation products of 564 and 481 amino acids, respectively. Intracellular processing of the latter yields the glycoproteins found in the viral envelope. Comparison of the Junin virus N protein with the homologous proteins of other arenaviruses indicated that amino acid sequences are conserved, the identity ranging from 46 to 76%. The N-terminal half of GPC exhibits an even higher degree of conservation (54 to 82%), whereas the C-terminal half is less conserved (21 to 50%). In all comparisons the highest level of amino acid sequence identity was seen when Junin virus and Tacaribe virus sequences were aligned. The nucleotide sequence at the 5' end of Junin virus S RNA is not identical to that determined of the other sequenced arenaviruses. However, it is complementary to the 3'-terminal sequences and may form a very stable panhandle structure (delta G-242.7 kJ/mol) involving the complete non-coding regions upstream from both the N and GPC genes. In addition, a distinct secondary structure was identified in the intergenic region, downstream from the coding sequences; Junin virus S RNA shows a potential secondary structure consisting of two hairpin loops (delta G -163.2 and -239.3 kJ/mol) instead of the single hairpin loop that is usually found in other arenaviruses. The analysis of the arenavirus S RNA nucleotide sequences and their encoded products is discussed in relation to structure and function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Guanarito virus (Arenaviridae) isolates from endemic and outlying localities in Venezuela: sequence comparisons among and within strains isolated from Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever patients and rodents.

Despite intensive surveillance, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF), caused by Guanarito (GTO) virus, has been detected in only a small region of western Venezuela. To determine whether VHF is associated with a particular regional GTO virus strain(s), 29 isolates from rodents and humans throughout the surrounding regions were analyzed by partial sequencing of the nucleocapsid protein gene. Phylogenetic trees delineated nine distinct GTO genotypes that differ by 4-17% in nucleotides and up to 9% in amino acid sequences; most appeared to be restricted to discrete geographic regions, although a few genotypes were isolated in several locations. Each genotype included at least one strain recovered from a rodent, but only two genotypes were isolated from VHF cases. The presence outside of the endemic/epidemic region of two genotypes isolated also from VHF cases suggests that human pathogenic viruses occur outside of the endemic zone, but do not frequently infect people and/or cause apparent disease there. VHF does not appear to be associated with a GTO virus genotype that is restricted to a certain rodent species. When quasispecies diversity was examined, rodent isolates had higher sequence variation than human isolates. One rodent isolate included a mixture of two phylogenetically distinct genotypes, suggesting a dual infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Allpahuayo virus: a newly recognized arenavirus (arenaviridae) from arboreal rice rats (oecomys bicolor and oecomys paricola) in northeastern peru.

Allpahuayo virus was initially isolated from arboreal rice rats (Oecomys bicolor and Oecomys paricola) collected during 1997 at the Allpahuayo Biological Station in northeastern Peru. Serological and genetic studies identified the virus as a new member of the Tacaribe complex of the genus Arenavirus. The small (S) segment of the Allpahuayo virus prototype strain CLHP-2098 (Accession No. AY012686) was sequenced, as well as that of sympatric isolate CLHP-2472 (Accession No. AY012687), from the same rodent species. The S segment was 3382 bases in length and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Allpahuayo is a sister virus to Pichinde in clade A. Two ambisense, nonoverlapping reading frames were identified, which result in two predicted gene products, a glycoprotein precursor (GPC) and a nucleocapsid protein (NP). A predicted stable single hairpin secondary structure was identified in the intergenic region between GPC and NP. Details of the genetic organization of Allpahuayo virus are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pirital virus (Arenaviridae) infection in the syrian golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus: a new animal model for arenaviral hemorrhagic fever.

Adult Syrian golden hamsters inoculated intraperitoneally with Pirital virus, a recently discovered member of the Tacaribe complex of New World arenaviruses, developed a progressively severe, fatal illness with many of the pathologic features observed in fatal human cases of Lassa fever and other arenaviral hemorrhagic fevers. Most of the animals became moribund by Day 5 and were dead by Day 7 after inoculation. The most consistent histopathologic changes included interstitial pneumonitis, splenic lymphoid depletion and necrosis, and multifocal hepatic necrosis without significant inflammatory cell infiltration. The liver changes ranged from single cell death by apoptosis to coagulative necrosis of clusters of hepatocytes. Immunohistochemical studies of the liver demonstrated the presence and accumulation ot Pirital virus antigen within hepatocytes as well as Kupffer cells. An in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay showed progressively increasing apoptotic activity in the liver of infected hamsters. A human hepatoblastoma cell line (Hep G2/C3A) inoculated with Pirital virus also developed progressive cell destruction and accumulation of viral antigen, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Results of this pilot study suggest that the Pirital virus-hamster model is a very promising new small animal model for studying the pathogenesis of arenavirus infections, particularly, the mechanism of direct virus-induced hepatic injury. It may also be useful for testingantiviral agents for treatment of arenaviral hemorrhagic fevers.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Arenavirus phylogeny: a new insight.

Arenaviridae is a worldwide distributed family, of enveloped, single stranded, RNA viruses. The arenaviruses were divided in two major groups (Old World and New World), based on serological properties and genetic data, as well as the geographic distribution. In this study the phylogenetic relationship among the members of the Arenaviridae was examined, using the reported genomic sequences. The comparison of the aligned nucleotide sequences of the S RNA and the predicted amino acid sequences of the GPC and N proteins, together with the phylogenetic analysis, strongly suggest a possible kinship of Pichindé and Oliveros viruses, with the Old World arenavirus group. This analysis points at the evolutive relationships between the arenaviruses of the Americas and can be used to evaluate the different hypotheses about their origin.

Arenavirus↗
PubMed1997

Isolation and characterization of pirital virus, a newly discovered South American arenavirus.

Specific rodent species are principal hosts for each of the well-characterized members of the virus family Arenaviridae. Guanarito virus (Arenaviridae) is the etiologic agent of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever. A previous study on the epidemiology of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever revealed extensive arenavirus infection (presumed to be caused by Guanarito virus) in two rodent species. Sigmodon alstoni and Zygodontomys brevicauda, collected from the region of Venezuela in which the disease is endemic. In the present study, four arenavirus isolates recovered from the Municipality of Guanarito (two isolates each from S. alstoni and Z. brevicauda) were characterized to learn more about the natural rodent host relationships of Guanarito virus. Serologic tests and analyses of nucleocapsid protein gene sequence data indicated that the two isolates from Z. brevicauda are strains of Guanarito virus and that the two isolates from S. alstoni are representatives of a novel New World arenavirus (proposed name Pirital) that is antigenically and phylogenetically distinct from all known New World arenaviruses. The results of the present study provide further evidence that the cane mouse Z. brevicauda is a natural host of Guanarito virus and suggest that the cotton rat S. alstoni is the natural reservoir host of Pirital but not Guanarito virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Haemorrhagic fevers and ecological perturbations.

Hemorrhagic fever is a clinical and imprecise definition for several different diseases. Their main common point is to be zoonoses. These diseases are due to several viruses which belong to different families. The Flaviviridae have been known for the longest time. They include the Amaril virus that causes yellow fever and is transported by mosquitoes. Viruses that have come to light more recently belong to three other families: Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, and Filoviridae. They are transmitted by rodents (hantaviruses and arenaviruses) or from unknown reservoirs (Ebola Marburg). The primary cause of most outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever viruses is ecological disruption resulting from human activities. The expansion of the world population perturbs ecosystems that were stable a few decades ago and facilitates contacts with animals carrying viruses pathogenic to humans. Another dangerous human activity is the development of hospitals with poor medical hygiene. Lassa, Crimean-Congo or Ebola outbreaks are mainly nosocomial. There are also natural environmental changes: the emergence of Sin Nombre in the U.S. resulted from heavier than usual rain and snow during spring 1993 in the Four Corners. Biological industries also present risks. In 1967, collection of organs from monkeys allowed the discovery in Marburg of a new family of viruses, the Filoviridae. Hemorrhagic fever viruses are cause for worry, and the avenues to reduce their toll are still limited.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Immune recognition of tumor cells in mice infected with Pichinde virus.

Pichinde virus (PV), a member of the Arenaviridae family, protects mice from a lethal inoculation with the sarcoma 180 (S180) tumor cell line. Virus replication, which is required for protection, occurs primarily in the spleen and tumor. During the first 4 days, elevated natural killer (NK) cell activity parallels an increase in serum interferon in PV-infected mice. On day 7 after infection virus-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are found in the mouse. This strong response peaks on day 13 and gradually declines over the next 17 days. The tumor-specific CTL response appears more slowly and is less intense than the virus-specific response, especially in the uninfected mouse. However, CTLs from either type of mouse recognize PV-infected tissue culture S180 target cells better than uninfected ones. Even though the primary tumor-specific immune response appears weak, mice that have cleared both virus and tumor are refractory to a subsequent challenge with S180 cells and rapidly produce tumor-specific CTLs. Thus, our data indicate a number of ways in which virus infection could lead to immune elimination of tumors: (1) Virus-induced interferon stimulates NK-cell activity, which in turn could control tumor load until a specific response is mounted against the S180 cells; (2) early onset of the tumor-specific T-cell response could be brought about by viral-enhanced tumor antigen presentation to the immune system; and (3) the tumor-specific T-cell response could be augmented through a "bystander' phenomenon involving factors associated with T cells responding specifically and vigorously to the virus itself.

Animals↗