title: Akabane virus in Israel: a new virus lineage.
abstract: This report describes the first molecular characterization of Akabane virus (AKAV) in Israel. The virus was recognized by real-time RT-PCR in extracts from Culicoides imicola insects trapped at the Volcani Center located in the center of Israel. This is also the first report on the use of real-time RT-PCR to identify the virus. The quantitative capability of this technique was applied, and it was calculated that the insect extract contains 1.5 x 10(5) copies of the genome segment S. Following amplification of the small (S) genome segment, its nucleotide sequence was determined to have 93.4% identity or greater with the S segment of other AKAV isolates. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the combined nucleocapsid and the non-structural protein showed more than 96.6% identity. Phylogentic trees constructed using the combined deduced nucleocapsid and the non-structural protein aa sequences showed that the Israeli isolate forms a fourth cluster of AKAV, indicating a separate virus lineage. Attempts to isolate the virus by inoculation to Vero cells and by intracerebral inoculation to mice were unsuccessful.
authors.affiliation: Virology Division, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12 Beit Dagan, 50250 Israel. stramy@int.gov.il
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Stram
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Braverman
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Banet-Noach
authors.forename: Larisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuznetzova
authors.forename: Marisol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ginni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007557:Israel; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012840:Simbu virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral