Isolation of a new strain of the flavivirus cell fusing agent virus in a natural mosquito population from Puerto Rico

• DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81475-0
• Publication Date: 2006-03-09T23:22:50Z
• Authors: Shelley Cook; Shannon N. Bennett; Edward C. Holmes; Reine De Chesse; Gregory Moureau; Xavier de Lamball...
• Keywords: Flavivirus; Isolation; Strain (injury); Virus isolation; Virus strain

The genus Flavivirus contains approximately 70 single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that are mosquito-borne, tick-borne or have no known vector. Two discoveries support previous suggestions of the existence a large number unsampled flaviviruses: (i) new flavivirus, Kamiti River virus, was recently isolated from Kenyan mosquitoes, and (ii) sequences with high similarity to those flaviviruses been found integrated into genome Aedes suggesting past infection virus (or viruses) has yet be discovered. These were related most closely flavivirus infects insects alone, cell fusing agent (CFAV). CFAV originally in laboratory an aegypti line. To date, this had not wild. In present study, over 40 isolates novel strain discovered mature mosquitoes sampled wild Puerto Rico. viral range mosquito species, including , albopictus Culex sp., numerous locations across island and, importantly, both sexes, vertical transmission. Here, results screening, culture molecular identification infected presented. Experimental-infection tests also conducted by using original highly efficient reverse-transcription mechanism documented, which initiation copying occurs at 3′ terminus either genomic intermediate replication, potentially elucidating flaviviral may genomes.