title: Molecular characterization of African orthobunyaviruses.
abstract: The genus Orthobunyavirus is composed of segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses that are responsible for mild to severe human diseases. To date, no molecular studies of bunyaviruses in the genus Orthobunyavirus from central Africa have been reported, and their classification relies on serological testing. Four new primer pairs for RT-PCR amplification and sequencing of the complete genomic small (S) RNA segments of 10 orthobunyaviruses isolated from the Central African Republic and pertaining to five different serogroups have been designed and evaluated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these 10 viruses belong to the Bunyamwera serogroup. The S segment sequences differ from those of the Bunyamwera virus reference strain by 5-15 % at the nucleotide level, and both overlapping reading frames, encoding the nucleocapsid (N) and non-structural (NS) proteins, were evident in sequenced genomes. This study should improve diagnosis and surveillance of African bunyaviruses.
authors.affiliation: GEVSM-SRSMC, UMR 7565 CNRS Nancy-University, France.|CHU de Nancy Brabois, Nancy-University, France.|Laboratoire de Virologie, Unité des Arbovirus et Fièvres Hémorragiques Virales, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic.|INSERM U525, Nancy-University, France.
authors.forename: E Nakouné
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Yandoko
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biologie Moléculaire chez les Extremophiles (BMGE), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gribaldo
authors.affiliation: CHU de Nancy Brabois, Nancy-University, France.|GEVSM-SRSMC, UMR 7565 CNRS Nancy-University, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finance
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie, Unité des Arbovirus et Fièvres Hémorragiques Virales, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Faou
authors.affiliation: CHU de Nancy Brabois, Nancy-University, France.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Rihn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002042:Bunyamwera virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D002488:Central African Republic; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins