title: Isolation and full genomic characterization of Batai virus from mosquitoes, Italy 2009.
abstract: In 2009, 2589 mosquitoes were collected in northwest Italy and screened for orthobunyavirus RNA by RT-PCR. One pool of Anopheles maculipennis complex mosquitoes was found to be positive and a virus was isolated from that pool. The isolate was identified as Batai virus (BATV) by sequencing. Previously, BATV was detected in Italy, but limited data and no prior isolates existed. Full-length sequences of the S, M and L segments were determined for the newly isolated Italian strain. For comparison, partial sequences were also determined for the BATV strain Calovo (former Czechoslovakia, 1960). Phylogenetic analyses revealed clustering of the newly derived Italian BATV along with a recent isolate from Germany and the historic strain Calovo. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first isolation of BATV from Italy, which confirms a broader geographical distribution of BATV in Europe than was previously verified by isolation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Eili
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huhtamo
authors.affiliation: Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Amy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Virologia Molecolare, UOA Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costantino
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Virologia Molecolare, UOA Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Servino
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Virologia Molecolare, UOA Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krizmancic
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Anatomia Patologica, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università Amedeo Avogadro del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Renzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boldorini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Anatomia Patologica, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università Amedeo Avogadro del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allegrini
authors.affiliation: Istituto per le Piante da Legno e l'Ambiente, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Essi M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Korhonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 66, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Virology and Immunology, Helsinki University Central Hospital Laboratory, PO Box 400, FI-00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vapalahti
authors.affiliation: Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lanciotti
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Virologia Molecolare, UOA Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ravanini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000821:virology*; D023281:Genomics; D007558:Italy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016851:Orthobunyavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins