title: Kaumoebavirus, a New Virus That Clusters with Faustoviruses and Asfarviridae.
abstract: In this study, we report the isolation of a new giant virus found in sewage water from the southern area of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), with morphological and genomic resemblance to Faustoviruses. This new giant virus, named Kaumoebavirus, was obtained from co-culture withVermamoeba vermiformis, an amoeboid protozoa considered to be of special interest to human health and the environment. This new virus has ~250 nm icosahedral capsids and a 350,731 bp DNA genome length. The genome of Kaumoebavirus has a coding density of 86%, corresponding to 465 genes. Most of these genes (59%) are closely related to genes from members of the proposed orderMegavirales, and the best matches to its proteins with other members of theMegaviralesare Faustoviruses (43%) and Asfarviruses (23%). Unsurprisingly, phylogenetic reconstruction places Kaumoebavirus as a distant relative of Faustoviruses and Asfarviruses.
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. leenaasd@gmail.com.|Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, 21362 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. leenaasd@gmail.com.
authors: Leena H
authors: LH
authors: Bajrai
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. benamarsamia@yahoo.com.
authors: Samia
authors: S
authors: Benamar
authors: Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, and Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, 21362 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. eazhar@kau.edu.sa.
authors: Esam I
authors: EI
authors: Azhar
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. catherine.robert@univ-amu.fr.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Robert
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. anthony.levasseur@univ-amu.fr.
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Levasseur
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. didier.raoult@gmail.com.
authors: Didier
authors: D
authors: Raoult
authors: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE UMR CNRS 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France. bernard.la-scola@univ-amu.fr.
authors: Bernard
authors: B
authors: La Scola
mesh_terms: D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D016679:Genome, Viral; D000072139:Giant Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016840:Lobosea / Q000254:growth & development / Q000821:virology; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012722:Sewage / Q000821:virology; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014713:Viruses, Unclassified / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012722:Sewage
keywords: Asfarviruses; Faustoviruses; Kaumoebavirus; Vermamoeba vermiformis