Isolation of a GB virus-related genome from a chimpanzee.
Recently, two new flaviviruses, GB virus A (GBV-A) and GB virus B (GBV-B), were identified in the plasma of a tamarin infected with the hepatitis GB agent. A third virus, GB virus C (GBV-C), was subsequently identified in humans. In the current study, representational difference analysis (RDA) was used to search for a new virus in the serum of a chimpanzee that developed acute resolving hepatitis following inoculation with a pool of chimpanzee plasma. The plasma pool originated from serial passages of a human sample containing virus-like particles. Numerous cDNA clones were obtained that exhibited 62-80% identity with GBV-C. With the exception of the extreme 5' and 3' ends, the complete viral genome was sequenced, revealing a single large open reading frame encoding a 2833 amino acid polyprotein that contains two envelope proteins, two proteases, a helicase, and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Phylogenetic analysis of the new virus indicates that it is closely related to GBV-C, yet still sufficiently divergent as to be placed in a separate group, tentatively labeled GB virus Ctroglodytes (GBV-Ctro). Numerous human samples were screened by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), but GBV-Ctro sequence was not detected. However, a second chimpanzee inoculated with the same plasma pool was shown to develop a GBV-Ctro infection. Although isolated from an Old World primate with hepatitis, the primary host of GBV-Ctro and any association with disease remains to be determined.
Virus Discovery Group, Experimental Biology Research, Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois, USA.
L G
LG
Birkenmeyer
S M
SM
Desai
A S
AS
Muerhoff
T P
TP
Leary
J N
JN
Simons
C C
CC
Montes
I K
IK
Mushahwar
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D004279:DNA, Viral