title: Belo Horizonte virus: a vaccinia-like virus lacking the A-type inclusion body gene isolated from infected mice.
abstract: Here is described the isolation of a naturally occurring A-type inclusion body (ATI)-negative vaccinia-like virus, Belo Horizonte virus (VBH), obtained from a mousepox-like outbreak in Brazil. The isolated virus was identified and characterized as an orthopoxvirus by conventional methods. Molecular characterization of the virus was done by DNA cross-hybridization using Vaccinia virus (VACV) DNA. In addition, conserved orthopoxvirus genes such as vaccinia growth factor, thymidine kinase and haemagglutinin were amplified by PCR and sequenced. All sequences presented high similarity to VACV genes. Based on the sequences, phenograms were constructed for comparison with other poxviruses; VBH clustered consistently with VACV strains. Attempts to amplify the ATI gene (ati) by PCR, currently used to identify orthopoxviruses, were unsuccessful. Results presented here suggest that most of the ati gene is deleted in the VBH genome.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giliane S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Trindade
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou - FIOCRUZ, Avenida Augusto de Lima 1715, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávio G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Biology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: João T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia de Microrganismos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sueli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Bodt
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Van der Peer
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudio A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bonjardim
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo C P
authors.initials: PCP
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Erna G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kroon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017353:Gene Deletion; D007181:Inclusion Bodies, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral