TY - JOUR
T1 - Cyclic avian mass mortality in the northeastern United States is associated with a novel orthomyxovirus
AU - Allison, Andrew B.
AU - Ballard, Jennifer R.
AU - Tesh, Robert B.
AU - Brown, Justin D.
AU - Ruder, Mark G.
AU - Keel, M. Kevin
AU - Munk, Brandon A.
AU - Mickley, Randall M.
AU - Gibbs, Samantha E.J.
AU - Travassos da Rosa, Amelia P.A.
AU - Ellis, Julie C.
AU - Ip, Hon S.
AU - Shearn-Bochsler, Valerie I.
AU - Rogers, Matthew B.
AU - Ghedin, Elodie
AU - Holmes, Edward C.
AU - Parrish, Colin R.
AU - Dwyer, Chris
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, American Society for Microbiology.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Since 1998, cyclic mortality events in common eiders (Somateria mollissima), numbering in the hundreds to thousands of dead birds, have been documented along the coast of Cape Cod, MA, USA. Although longitudinal disease investigations have uncovered potential contributing factors responsible for these outbreaks, detecting a primary etiological agent has proven enigmatic. Here, we identify a novel orthomyxovirus, tentatively named Wellfleet Bay virus (WFBV), as a potential causative agent of these outbreaks. Genomic analysis of WFBV revealed that it is most closely related to members of the Quaranjavirus genus within the family Orthomyxoviridae. Similar to other members of the genus, WFBV contains an alphabaculovirus gp64-like glycoprotein that was demonstrated to have fusion activity; this also tentatively suggests that ticks (and/or insects) may vector the virus in nature. However, in addition to the six RNA segments encoding the prototypical structural proteins identified in other quaranjaviruses, a previously unknown RNA segment (segment 7) encoding a novel protein designated VP7 was discovered in WFBV. Although WFBV shows low to moderate levels of sequence similarity to Quaranfil virus and Johnston Atoll virus, the original members of the Quaranjavirus genus, additional antigenic and genetic analyses demonstrated that it is closely related to the recently identified Cygnet River virus (CyRV) from South Australia, suggesting that WFBV and CyRV may be geographic variants of the same virus. Although the identification of WFBV in part may resolve the enigma of these mass mortality events, the details of the ecology and epidemiology of the virus remain to be determined.
AB - Since 1998, cyclic mortality events in common eiders (Somateria mollissima), numbering in the hundreds to thousands of dead birds, have been documented along the coast of Cape Cod, MA, USA. Although longitudinal disease investigations have uncovered potential contributing factors responsible for these outbreaks, detecting a primary etiological agent has proven enigmatic. Here, we identify a novel orthomyxovirus, tentatively named Wellfleet Bay virus (WFBV), as a potential causative agent of these outbreaks. Genomic analysis of WFBV revealed that it is most closely related to members of the Quaranjavirus genus within the family Orthomyxoviridae. Similar to other members of the genus, WFBV contains an alphabaculovirus gp64-like glycoprotein that was demonstrated to have fusion activity; this also tentatively suggests that ticks (and/or insects) may vector the virus in nature. However, in addition to the six RNA segments encoding the prototypical structural proteins identified in other quaranjaviruses, a previously unknown RNA segment (segment 7) encoding a novel protein designated VP7 was discovered in WFBV. Although WFBV shows low to moderate levels of sequence similarity to Quaranfil virus and Johnston Atoll virus, the original members of the Quaranjavirus genus, additional antigenic and genetic analyses demonstrated that it is closely related to the recently identified Cygnet River virus (CyRV) from South Australia, suggesting that WFBV and CyRV may be geographic variants of the same virus. Although the identification of WFBV in part may resolve the enigma of these mass mortality events, the details of the ecology and epidemiology of the virus remain to be determined.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920825190&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84920825190&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/JVI.02019-14
DO - 10.1128/JVI.02019-14
M3 - Article
C2 - 25392223
AN - SCOPUS:84920825190
SN - 0022-538X
VL - 89
SP - 1389
EP - 1403
JO - Journal of virology
JF - Journal of virology
IS - 2
ER -