title: Novel insect-specific flavivirus isolated from northern Europe.
abstract: Mosquitoes collected in Finland were screened for flaviviral RNA leading to the discovery and isolation of a novel flavivirus designated Hanko virus (HANKV). Virus characterization, including phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequence, confirmed HANKV as a member of the "insect-specific" flavivirus (ISF) group. HANKV is the first member of this group isolated from northern Europe, and therefore the first northern European ISF for which the complete coding sequence has been determined. HANKV was not transcribed as DNA in mosquito cell culture, which appears atypical for an ISF. HANKV shared highest sequence homology with the partial NS5 sequence available for the recently discovered Spanish Ochlerotatus flavivirus (SOcFV). Retrospective analysis of mitochondrial sequences from the virus-positive mosquito pool suggested an Ochlerotatus mosquito species as the most likely host for HANKV. HANKV and SOcFV may therefore represent a novel group of Ochlerotatus-hosted insect-specific flaviviruses in Europe and further afield.
authors.affiliation: Infection Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FIN-00014, Finland. eili.huhtamo@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Eili
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huhtamo
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moureau
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Ora
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Julkunen
authors.forename: Niina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Putkuri
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurkela
authors.forename: Nathalie Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Uzcátegui
authors.forename: Ralph E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Harbach
authors.forename: Ernest A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vapalahti
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: de Lamballerie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D005387:Finland; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral