Genetic Analysis of Dobrava-Belgrade Virus from Western Serbia - A Newly Detected Focus in the Balkan Peninsula
2015
Authors:
Stamenković, GoranaNikolic, V.
Blagojević, Jelena
Bugarski-Stanojević, Vanja
Adnađević, Tanja
Stanojevic, M.
Vujošević, Mladen
Document Type:
Article (Published version)
,
© 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract:
Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) is a hantavirus species that causes the
most severe form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in
Europe. DOBV has been detected in three Apodemus rodents: A.flavicollis,
A.agrarius and A.ponticus. These emerging viruses appear throughout the
Balkan Peninsula including Serbia as its central part. In this study, we
examined the seroprevalence, molecular epidemiology and phylogenetics of
DOBV from A.flavicollis captured at six Serbian localities. Furthermore,
we applied microsatellite typing of host animal genome to analyse the
role of host kinship in DOBV animal transmission. The overall IgG
seropositivity rate over 3years (2008-2010) was 11.9\% (22/185). All
seropositive samples were subjected to RT-PCR and DNA sequencing for S
and L genome segments (pos. 291-1079nt and 2999-3316nt, respectively).
DOBV was genetically detected in three samples from mountain Tara in
western Serbia, a newly detected DOBV focus in the Balkans. No sequence
data from human cases from Serbia are available for the studied period.
However, collected DOBV isolates in this work phylogenetically clustered
together with isolates from Serbian human cases dating from 2002, with
1.9\% nucleotide divergence. We determined the level of kinship between
seropositive and seronegative animal groups and found no significant
difference, suggesting that horizontal virus transmission in the studied
population was the same within and among the hatches. Our findings are
the first genetic detection of DOBV in rodents in Serbia. We confirm
wide and continuous hantavirus presence in the examined parts of the
Balkans, underlying the necessity of continual monitoring of hantavirus
circulation in A.flavicollis.
Keywords:
Hantavirus; Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV); Apodemus flavicollis; Balkan PeninsulaSource:
Zoonoses and Public Health, 2015, 62, 2, 141-150Funding / projects:
- Genetic and phenetic diversity in natural populations across different environments - contribution of B chromosome polymorphism (RS-MESTD-Basic Research (BR or ON)-173003)
- Phylogenetic anaysis and molecular evolution of highly variable viruses: coinfections, host-pathogene interactions (RS-MESTD-Basic Research (BR or ON)-175024)
DOI: 10.1111/zph.12136
ISSN: 1863-2378