title: Negevirus: a proposed new taxon of insect-specific viruses with wide geographic distribution.
abstract: Six novel insect-specific viruses, isolated from mosquitoes and phlebotomine sand flies collected in Brazil, Peru, the United States, Ivory Coast, Israel, and Indonesia, are described. Their genomes consist of single-stranded, positive-sense RNAs with poly(A) tails. By electron microscopy, the virions appear as spherical particles with diameters of ∼45 to 55 nm. Based on their genome organization and phylogenetic relationship, the six viruses, designated Negev, Ngewotan, Piura, Loreto, Dezidougou, and Santana, appear to form a new taxon, tentatively designated Negevirus. Their closest but still distant relatives are citrus leposis virus C (CiLV-C) and viruses in the genus Cilevirus, which are mite-transmitted plant viruses. The negeviruses replicate rapidly and to high titer (up to 10(10) PFU/ml) in mosquito cells, producing extensive cytopathic effect and plaques, but they do not appear to replicate in mammalian cells or mice. A discussion follows on their possible biological significance and effect on mosquito vector competence for arboviruses.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasilakis
authors.forename: Naomi L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Forrester
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palacios
authors.forename: Farooq
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nasar
authors.forename: Nazir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Savji
authors.forename: Shannan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Vsevolod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: Rodion
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gorchakov
authors.forename: Ana Vázquez
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Haddow
authors.forename: Douglas M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Amelia P A Travassos
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: da Rosa
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: W Ian
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Lipkin
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000821:virology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000821:virology; D006224:Cricetinae; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000821:virology; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014709:Vero Cells; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral