Shimoni bat virus, a new representative of the Lyssavirus genus.
During 2009, 616 bats representing at least 22 species were collected from 10 locations throughout Kenya. A new lyssavirus, named Shimoni bat virus (SHIBV), was isolated from the brain of a dead Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni), found in a cave in the coastal region of Kenya. Genetic distances and phylogenetic reconstructions, implemented for each gene and for the concatenated alignment of all five structural genes (N, P, M, G and L), demonstrated that SHIBV cannot be identified with any of the existing species, but rather should be considered an independent species within phylogroup II of the Lyssavirus genus, most similar to Lagos bat virus (LBV). Antigenic reaction patterns with anti-nucleocapsid monoclonal antibodies corroborated these distinctions. In addition, new data on the diversity of LBV suggests that this species may be subdivided quantitatively into three separate genotypes. However, the identity values alone are not considered sufficient criteria for demarcation of new species within LBV.
Rabies Program, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. ivkuzmin@yandex.ru
Ivan V
IV
Kuzmin
Anne E
AE
Mayer
Michael
M
Niezgoda
Wanda
W
Markotter
Bernard
B
Agwanda
Robert F
RF
Breiman
Charles E
CE
Rupprecht
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D007630:Kenya; D018114:Lyssavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins