title: High genetic structuring of Tula hantavirus.
abstract: Tula virus (TULV) is a vole-associated hantavirus with low or no pathogenicity to humans. In the present study, 686 common voles (Microtus arvalis), 249 field voles (Microtus agrestis) and 30 water voles (Arvicola spec.) were collected at 79 sites in Germany, Luxembourg and France and screened by RT-PCR and TULV-IgG ELISA. TULV-specific RNA and/or antibodies were detected at 43 of the sites, demonstrating a geographically widespread distribution of the virus in the studied area. The TULV prevalence in common voles (16.7 %) was higher than that in field voles (9.2 %) and water voles (10.0 %). Time series data at ten trapping sites showed evidence of a lasting presence of TULV RNA within common vole populations for up to 34 months, although usually at low prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a strong genetic structuring of TULV sequences according to geography and independent of the rodent species, confirming the common vole as the preferential host, with spillover infections to co-occurring field and water voles. TULV phylogenetic clades showed a general association with evolutionary lineages in the common vole as assessed by mitochondrial DNA sequences on a large geographical scale, but with local-scale discrepancies in the contact areas.
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.|Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saxenhofer
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Drewes
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.|Seramun Diagnostica GmbH, 15754, Heidesee, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schlegel
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Konrad M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Wanka
authors.affiliation: Goethe-University, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Goethe-University, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klimpel
authors.affiliation: RIFCON GmbH, 69493, Hirschberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: von Blanckenhagen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Denny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maaz
authors.affiliation: Institute for Veterinary Pathology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herden
authors.affiliation: Task-Force Veterinärwesen, Fachbereich Schädlingsbekämpfung, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, 26133, Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jona
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Freise
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle, 06099, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stubbe
authors.affiliation: Säugetierkundliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schleswig-Holstein, 24253, Probsteierhagen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borkenhagen
authors.affiliation: Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, 02826, Görlitz, Germany.
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ansorge
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Animal Ecology, University of Potsdam, 14469, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Eccard
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tierökologie und Naturbildung, Hauptstraße 30, 35321, Gonterskirchen, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: INRA, French National Institute for Agricultural Research, UR0346 Animal Epidemiology Unit, Saint-Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jourdain
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forestry, Vertebrate Research, Julius Kühn-Institute, 48161, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.affiliation: Virology Unit, Laboratory of Lyon, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), 69364, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marianneau
authors.affiliation: Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.|Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heckel
authors.affiliation: Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany. rainer.ulrich@fli.bund.de.
authors.forename: Rainer G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5620-1528
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ulrich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000821:virology; D001483:Base Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral