title: Detection of picobirnaviruses in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus): Molecular characterization of complete genomic segment-2.
abstract: During 2014-2015, 270 fecal samples were collected from non-diarrheic, captive and wild African green monkeys (AGMs) on the island of St. Kitts, Caribbean region. By RNA-PAGE, picobirnaviruses (PBVs) were detected in sixteen captive AGMs. By RT-PCR and sequencing of partial gene segment-2, PBVs in 15 of these 16 samples were assigned to genogroup-I. The full-length nucleotide (nt) sequence of gene segment-2 of one of the genogroup-I PBV strains, strain PBV/African green monkey/KNA/016593/2015, was obtained using a non-specific primer-based amplification method with modifications. Gene segment-2 of strain 016593 was 1707bp long, and encoded a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of 538aa. Furthermore, the nearly complete gene segment-2 sequences of three other AGM PBV strains were determined using primers designed from gene segment-2 sequence of 016593. The gene segment-2 of the 4 AGM PBV strains were almost identical to each other, and exhibited a high degree of genetic diversity (maximum nt and deduced aa sequence identities of 66.4% and 65.3%, respectively) with those of PBVs from other host species. The 5'- and 3'- (except for one mismatch) end nt sequences and the three domains of RdRps were retained in the AGM PBV strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection, and molecular characterization of complete gene segment-2 of PBVs in vervet monkeys. PBVs were detected for the first time from the Caribbean region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Christa A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Katalina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Meiji Soe
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Aung
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies; School of Life Sciences and Chemical Technology, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bajak
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies; Behavioral Science Foundation, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beierschmitt
authors.affiliation: St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: Kerry M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dore
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ketzis
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Standardization, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Yashpal S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobumichi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies; Department of Hygiene, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Electronic address: sghosh@rossu.edu.
authors.forename: Souvik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D015870:Gene Expression; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D062312:Islands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D018708:Picobirnavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D018419:Primate Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012327:RNA Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
keywords: Caribbean region; Complete gene segment-2; Picobirnavirus; Vervet monkeys