title: Malpais spring virus is a new species in the genus vesiculovirus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malpais Spring virus (MSPV) is a mosquito-borne rhabdovirus that infects a variety of wild and feral ungulates in New Mexico, including horses and deer. Although, initial serologic tests and electron microscopy at the time of isolation nearly 25 years ago provided evidence that MSPV is a novel virus, possibly related to vesiculoviruses, the virus still has not been approved as a new species.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Use of the illumina platform allowed us to obtain the complete genome of MSPV. Analysis of the complete 11019 nt genome sequence of the prototype 85-488NM strain of MSPV indicates that it encodes the five common rhabdovirus structural proteins (N, P, M, G and L) with alternative ORFs (> 180 nt) in the N, M and G genes, including a 249 nt ORF in the G gene predicted to encode a 9.26 kDa highly basic transmembrane protein. Although antigenically very distant, phylogenetic analysis of the L gene indicates that MSPV is most closely related to Jurona virus, also isolated from mosquitoes in Brazil, as well as a number of other vesiculoviruses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In sum, our analysis indicates MSPV should be classified as a member of the genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae. The complete genome sequence of MSPV will be helpful in the development of a reverse genetics system to study the unique aspects of this vesiculovirus in vivo and in vitro, and will assist development of specific diagnostic tests to study the epidemiology of MSPV infection.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0609, USA. nivasila@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasilakis
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Widen
authors.forename: Amelia Pa
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Travassos da Rosa
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D018116:Vesiculovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins