title: Diversity and epidemiology of Mokola virus.
abstract: Mokola virus (MOKV) appears to be exclusive to Africa. Although the first isolates were from Nigeria and other Congo basin countries, all reports over the past 20 years have been from southern Africa. Previous phylogenetic studies analyzed few isolates or used partial gene sequence for analysis since limited sequence information is available for MOKV and the isolates were distributed among various laboratories. The complete nucleoprotein, phosphoprotein, matrix and glycoprotein genes of 18 MOKV isolates in various laboratories were sequenced either using partial or full genome sequencing using pyrosequencing and a phylogenetic analysis was undertaken. The results indicated that MOKV isolates from the Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic and Nigeria clustered according to geographic origin irrespective of the genes used for phylogenetic analysis, similar to that observed with Lagos bat virus. A Bayesian Markov-Chain-Monte-Carlo- (MCMC) analysis revealed the age of the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of MOKV to be between 279 and 2034 years depending on the genes used. Generally, all MOKV isolates showed a similar pattern at the amino acid sites considered influential for viral properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kgaladi
authors.forename: Nicolette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coertse
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Markotter
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marston
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fooks
authors.forename: Conrad M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Freuling
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Claude T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sabeta
authors.forename: Louis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nel
mesh_terms: D000353:Africa, Southern / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D018114:Lyssavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins