title: Fugong virus, a novel hantavirus harbored by the small oriental vole (Eothenomys eleusis) in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rodents are natural reservoirs of hantaviruses, which cause two disease types: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Eurasia and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North America. Hantaviruses related human cases have been observed throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. To date, 23 distinct species of hantaviruses, hosted by reservoir, have been identified. However, the diversity and number of hantaviruses are likely underestimated in China, and hantavirus species that cause disease in many regions, including Yunnan province, are unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In August 2012, we collected tissue samples from 189 captured animals, including 15 species belonging to 10 genera, 5 families, and 4 orders in Fugong county, Yunnan province, China. Seven species were positive for hantavirus: Eothenomys eleusis (42/94), Apodemus peninsulae (3/25), Niviventer eha (3/27), Cryptotis montivaga (2/8), Anourosorex squamipes (1/1), Sorex araneus (1/1), and Mustela sibirica (1/2). We characterized one full-length genomic sequence of the virus (named fugong virus, FUGV) from a small oriental vole (Eothenomys eleusis). The full-length sequences of the small, medium, and large segments of FUGV were 1813, 3630, and 6531 nt, respectively. FUGV was most closely related to hantavirus LX309, a previously reported species detected in the red-backed vole in Luxi county, Yunnan province, China. However, the amino acid sequences of nucleocapsid (N), glycoprotein (G), and large protein (L) were highly divergent from those of Hantavirus LX309, with amino acid differences of 11.2, 15.3, and 12.7 %, respectively. In phylogenetic trees, FUGV clustered in the lineage corresponding to hantaviruses carried by rodents in the subfamily Arvicolinae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High prevalence of hantavirus infection in small mammals was found in Fugong county, Yunnan province, China. A novel hantavirus species FUGV was identified from the small oriental vole. This virus is phylogenetic clustering with another hantavirus LX309, but shows highly genomic divergence.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China. xyge@wh.iov.cn.
authors.forename: Xing-Yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, 671000, China. Yangwh0604@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei-Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, 671000, China. phjane912@163.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, 671000, China. jihuazhou@163.com.
authors.forename: Ji-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, 671000, China. hanxi922@163.com.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, 10001, USA. zhugj609@163.com.
authors.forename: Guang-Jian
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, 10001, USA. jdesmo01@gmail.com.
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Desmond
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, 10001, USA. daszak@ecohealthalliance.org.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daszak
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China. zlshi@wh.iov.cn.
authors.forename: Zheng-Li
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, 671000, China. zhangyunzhi1818@163.com.
authors.forename: Yun-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000821:virology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral