Multiple Mammarenaviruses Circulating in Angolan Rodents

Rodents are a speciose group of mammals with strong zoonotic potential. Some parts of Africa are still underexplored for the occurrence of rodent-borne pathogens, despite this high potential. Angola is at the convergence of three major biogeographical regions of sub-Saharan Africa, each harbouring a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Viruses 2021-05, Vol.13 (6), p.982
Main Authors: Těšíková, Jana, Krásová, Jarmila, Goüy de Bellocq, Joëlle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angola
Animals
Arenaviridae - classification
Arenaviridae - genetics
Arenaviridae Infections - veterinary
Cytochrome
Disease hot spots
Disease Reservoirs - virology
Divergence
DNA polymerase
Genetic analysis
Genetic distance
Genome, Viral
Genomes
Geography, Medical
Hantavirus
hantaviruses
mammarenaviruses
Mastomys natalensis
Micaelamys namaquensis
Mus triton
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Prevalence
RNA, Viral
Viruses
Whole Genome Sequencing
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Summary:Rodents are a speciose group of mammals with strong zoonotic potential. Some parts of Africa are still underexplored for the occurrence of rodent-borne pathogens, despite this high potential. Angola is at the convergence of three major biogeographical regions of sub-Saharan Africa, each harbouring a specific rodent community. This rodent-rich area is, therefore, strategic for studying the diversity and evolution of rodent-borne viruses. In this study we examined 290 small mammals, almost all rodents, for the presence of mammarenavirus and hantavirus RNA. While no hantavirus was detected, we found three rodent species positive for distinct mammarenaviruses with a particularly high prevalence in Namaqua rock rats ( ). We characterised four complete virus genomes, which showed typical mammarenavirus organisation. Phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses revealed: (i) the presence of a significantly divergent strain of Luna virus in Angolan representatives of the ubiquitous Natal multimammate mouse ( ), (ii) a novel Okahandja-related virus associated with the Angolan lineage of for which we propose the name Bitu virus (BITV) and (iii) the occurrence of a novel Mobala-like mammarenavirus in the grey-bellied pygmy mouse ( ) for which we propose the name Kwanza virus (KWAV). This high virus diversity in a limited host sample size and in a relatively small geographical area supports the idea that Angola is a hotspot for mammarenavirus diversity.
ISSN:1999-4915
1999-4915
DOI:10.3390/v13060982