title: A novel insect-specific flavivirus replicates only in Aedes-derived cells and persists at high prevalence in wild Aedes vigilax populations in Sydney, Australia.
abstract: To date, insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs) have only been isolated from mosquitoes and increasing evidence suggests that ISFs may affect the transmission of pathogenic flaviviruses. To investigate the diversity and prevalence of ISFs in Australian mosquitoes, samples from various regions were screened for flaviviruses by ELISA and RT-PCR. Thirty-eight pools of Aedes vigilax from Sydney in 2007 yielded isolates of a novel flavivirus, named Parramatta River virus (PaRV). Sequencing of the viral RNA genome revealed it was closely related to Hanko virus with 62.3% nucleotide identity over the open reading frame. PaRV failed to grow in vertebrate cells, with only Aedes-derived mosquito cell lines permissive to replication, suggesting a narrow host range. 2014 collections revealed that PaRV had persisted in A. vigilax populations in Sydney, with 88% of pools positive. Further investigations into its mode of transmission and potential to influence vector competence of A. vigilax for pathogenic viruses are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: breeanna.mclean@uqconnect.edu.au.
authors.forename: Breeanna J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: j.peters2@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hobson-Peters
authors.affiliation: Medical Entomology, Marie Bashir Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: Cameron.Webb@health.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Cameron E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: d.watterson@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Watterson
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Natalie.Prow@QIMRBerghofer.edu.au.
authors.forename: Natalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Prow
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: hongduyennguyenthi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hong Duyen
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Virology, Public and Environmental Health, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Sonja.Hall-Mendelin@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hall-Mendelin
authors.affiliation: Virology, Public and Environmental Health, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: David.Warrilow@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Warrilow
authors.affiliation: School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: cheryl.johansen@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.affiliation: Virology, Public and Environmental Health, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Cassie.Jansen@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: Cassie C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Virology, Public and Environmental Health, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Andrew.VanDenHurk@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: Andrew F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: van den Hurk
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia; CSIRO Biosecurity Flagship, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: n.beebe@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nigel W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Beebe
authors.affiliation: MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Esther.Schnettler@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schnettler
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: rossbarnard@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ross T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: roy.hall@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D002460:Cell Line; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity; D014779:Virus Replication
keywords: Aedes vigilax; Arbovirus; Coquillettidia xanthogaster; Insect-specific flavivirus; Mosquito; Palm Creek virus; Parramatta River virus; Virus discovery