title: Genomic characterization of a novel poxvirus from a flying fox: evidence for a new genus?
abstract: The carcass of an Australian little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) which died following entrapment on a fence was submitted to the laboratory for Australian bat lyssavirus exclusion testing, which was negative. During post-mortem, multiple nodules were noted on the wing membranes, and therefore degenerate PCR primers targeting the poxvirus DNA polymerase gene were used to screen for poxviruses. The poxvirus PCR screen was positive and sequencing of the PCR product demonstrated very low, but significant, similarity with the DNA polymerase gene from members of the Poxviridae family. Next-generation sequencing of DNA extracted from the lesions returned a contig of 132 353 nucleotides (nt), which was further extended to produce a near full-length viral genome of 133 492 nt. Analysis of the genome revealed it to be AT-rich with inverted terminal repeats of at least 1314 nt and to contain 143 predicted genes. The genome contains a surprisingly large number (29) of genes not found in other poxviruses, one of which appears to be a homologue of the mammalian TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the poxvirus described here is not closely related to any other poxvirus isolated from bats or other species, and that it likely should be placed in a new genus.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Shin-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Ridder
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Bethany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Upton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011212:Poxviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase