title: Full genome characterization of the culicoides-borne marsupial orbiviruses: Wallal virus, Mudjinbarry virus and Warrego viruses.
abstract: Viruses belonging to the species Wallal virus and Warrego virus of the genus Orbivirus were identified as causative agents of blindness in marsupials in Australia during 1994/5. Recent comparisons of nucleotide (nt) and amino acid (aa) sequences have provided a basis for the grouping and classification of orbivirus isolates. However, full-genome sequence data are not available for representatives of all Orbivirus species. We report full-genome sequence data for three additional orbiviruses: Wallal virus (WALV); Mudjinabarry virus (MUDV) and Warrego virus (WARV). Comparisons of conserved polymerase (Pol), sub-core-shell 'T2' and core-surface 'T13' proteins show that these viruses group with other Culicoides borne orbiviruses, clustering with Eubenangee virus (EUBV), another orbivirus infecting marsupials. WARV shares <70% aa identity in all three conserved proteins (Pol, T2 and T13) with other orbiviruses, consistent with its classification within a distinct Orbivirus species. Although WALV and MUDV share <72.86%/67.93% aa/nt identity with other orbiviruses in Pol, T2 and T13, they share >99%/90% aa/nt identities with each other (consistent with membership of the same virus species - Wallal virus). However, WALV and MUDV share <68% aa identity in their larger outer capsid protein VP2(OC1), consistent with membership of different serotypes within the species - WALV-1 and WALV-2 respectively.
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Manjunatha N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Belaganahalli
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sushila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maan
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Narender S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Maan
authors.affiliation: Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.affiliation: Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Camden, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Kirkland
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brownlie
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Houssam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Attoui
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Peter P C
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mertens
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000821:virology*; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D008394:Marsupialia / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018163:Orbivirus / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D017421:Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015678:Viral Structural Proteins