title: Complete coding sequence of the Alkhurma virus, a tick-borne flavivirus causing severe hemorrhagic fever in humans in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: To date, tick-borne flaviviruses responsible for hemorrhagic fever in humans have been isolated in Siberia (Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus), India (Kyasanur Forest disease virus, KFDV), and in Saudi Arabia (Alkhurma virus, ALKV). Prior to this study, only partial coding sequences of these severe pathogens had been determined. We report here the complete coding sequence of ALK virus, which was determined to be 10,248 nucleotides (nt) long, and to encode a single 3,416 amino acid polyprotein. Independent analyses of the complete polyprotein and the envelope protein provided genetic and phylogenetic evidence that ALKV belongs to the tick-borne flavivirus group, within which it is most closely related to KFDV. Analysis of structural genes, genetic distances, and evolutionary relationship indicate that ALKV and KFDV derived from a common phylogenetic ancestor and constitute two genetic subtypes of the same virus species according to current genetic criteria of classification.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Virus Emergents EA 3292, Université de la Méditerranée, Faculté de Médecine, 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseille 13005, France. rnc-virophdm@gulliver.fr
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Charrel
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Attoui
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fakeeh
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Billoir
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Yousef
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Chesse
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Micco
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: de Lamballerie
mesh_terms: D005416:Flavivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000821:virology*