title: Molecular Characterization of the Kamese Virus, an Unassigned Rhabdovirus, Isolated from Culex pruina in the Central African Republic.
abstract: Rhabdoviridae is one of the most diversified families of RNA viruses whose members infect a wide range of plants, animals, and arthropods. The members of this family are classified into 13 genera and >150 unassigned viruses. Here, we sequenced the complete genome of a rhabdovirus belonging to the Hart Park serogroup, the Kamese virus (KAMV), isolated in 1977 from Culex pruina in the Central African Republic. The genomic sequence showed an organization typical of rhabdoviruses with additional genes in the P-M and G-L intergenic regions, as already reported for the Hart Park serogroup. Our Kamese strain (ArB9074) had 98% and 78.8% nucleotide sequence similarity with the prototypes of the KAMV and Mossuril virus isolated in Uganda and Mozambique in two different Culex species, respectively. Moreover, the protein sequences had 98-100% amino acid similarity with the prototype of the KAMV, except for an additional gene (U3) that showed a divergence of 6%. These molecular data show that our strain of the KAMV is genetically close to the Culex annuliorus strain that was circulating in Uganda in 1967. However, this study suggests the need to improve our knowledge of the KAMV to better understand its behavior, its life cycle, and its potential reservoirs.
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF) , Franceville, Gabon .
authors.forename: Huguette Dorine
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Simo Tchetgna
authors.affiliation: 2 Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Bangui , Bangui, Central African Republic .
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakoune
authors.affiliation: 2 Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Bangui , Bangui, Central African Republic .
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Selekon
authors.affiliation: 3 Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Oncogenic Viruses, Institut Pasteur , Paris, France .|4 Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR3569 , Paris, France .
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
authors.affiliation: 5 Unité Environnement et Risques Infectieux, Cellule d'Intervention Biologique d'Urgence, Institut Pasteur , Paris, France .
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Manuguerra
authors.affiliation: 2 Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Bangui , Bangui, Central African Republic .
authors.forename: Mirdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kazanji
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF) , Franceville, Gabon .|4 Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR3569 , Paris, France .|5 Unité Environnement et Risques Infectieux, Cellule d'Intervention Biologique d'Urgence, Institut Pasteur , Paris, France .
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berthet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002488:Central African Republic; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D010802:Phylogeny; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Central Africa; Culex pruina; Kamese virus; unclassified rhabodvirus