1. |
- Björnström, Agnes, et al.
(author)
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Sindbis virus neutralising antibodies detected in Swedish horses
- 2021
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In: One Health. - : Elsevier. - 2352-7714. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A number of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are well known to cause disease in both humans and horses, ranging from mild fevers to mortal neurological disease. A recently discovered connection between the alphavirus Sindbis virus (SINV) and neurological disease in horses in South Africa initiated this serological study in northern Europe, where the same genotype of SINV (SINV-I) is also highly endemic. We tested 171 serum samples, originally obtained from horses for other reasons from April to October 2019, for presence of SINV neutralising antibodies using a plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT). The serum from six horses reduced the plaque count more than 80%, and two out of these reduced the plaque count more than 90%. These horses were sampled in six different regions of Sweden, and included individuals sampled from April to August. This study shows that horses in Sweden have become infected with SINV and developed neutralising antibodies. Potential connections between infection and development of disease are important questions for future studies.
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2. |
- Blomström, Anne-Lie, et al.
(author)
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Novel Viruses Found in Antricola Ticks Collected in Bat Caves in the Western Amazonia of Brazil
- 2020
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In: Viruses. - : MDPI AG. - 1999-4915. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we describe the viral composition of adult Antricola delacruzi ticks collected in a hot bat cave in the state of Rondonia, Western Amazonia, Brazil. A. delacruzi ticks, are special, compared to many other ticks, in that they feed on both bats (larval blood feeding) and bat guano (nymphal and adult feeding) instead of feeding exclusively on vertebrate hosts (blood feeding). Considering this unique life-cycle it is potentially possible that these ticks can pick up/be infected by viruses not only present in the blood of viremic bats but also by virus shed through the bat guano. The viral metagenomic investigation of adult ticks showed that single-stranded negative-sense RNA viruses were the dominant group of viruses identified in the investigated ticks. Out of these, members of the Nairoviridae family were in clear majority constituting 88% of all viral reads in the data set. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses indicate the presence of several different orthonairoviruses in the investigated ticks with only distant relationship to previously described ones. In addition, identification of viral sequences belonging to Orthomyxoviridae, Iflaviridae, Dicistroviridae, Polycipiviridae, Reoviridae and different unclassified RNA viruses showed the presence of viruses with low sequence similarity to previously described viruses.
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3. |
- Blomström, Anne-Lie
(author)
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Taxonomic update for mammalian anelloviruses (family Anelloviridae)
- 2021
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In: Archives of Virology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0304-8608 .- 1432-8798. ; 166, s. 2943-2953
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anelloviruses are small negative-sense single-stranded DNA viruses with genomes ranging in size from 1.6 to 3.9 kb. The family Anelloviridae comprised 14 genera before the present changes. However, in the last five years, a large number of diverse anelloviruses have been identified in various organisms. Here, we undertake a global analysis of mammalian anelloviruses whose full genome sequences have been determined and have an intact open reading frame 1 (ORF1). We established new criteria for the classification of anelloviruses, and, based on our analyses, we establish new genera and species to accommodate the unclassified anelloviruses. We also note that based on the updated species demarcation criteria, some previously assigned species (n = 10) merge with other species. Given the rate at which virus sequence data are accumulating, and with the identification of diverse anelloviruses, we acknowledge that the taxonomy will have to be dynamic and continuously evolve to accommodate new members.
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4. |
- Blomström, Anne-Lie
(author)
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Taxonomic updates for the genus Gyrovirus (family Anelloviridae): recognition of several new members and establishment of species demarcation criteria
- 2021
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In: Archives of Virology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0304-8608 .- 1432-8798. ; 166, s. 2937-2942
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The genus Gyrovirus was assigned to the family Anelloviridae in 2017 with only one recognized species, Chicken anemia virus. Over the last decade, many diverse viruses related to chicken anemia virus have been identified but not classified. Here, we provide a framework for the classification of new species in the genus Gyrovirus and communicate the establishment of nine new species. We adopted the 'Genus + freeform epithet' binomial system for the naming of these species.
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5. |
- Cholleti, Harindranath, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of Pipistrellus pygmaeus Bat Virome from Sweden
- 2022
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In: Viruses. - : MDPI AG. - 1999-4915. ; 14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increasing amounts of data indicate that bats harbor a higher viral diversity relative to other mammalian orders, and they have been recognized as potential reservoirs for pathogenic viruses, such as the Hendra, Nipah, Marburg, and SARS-CoV viruses. Here, we present the first viral metagenomic analysis of Pipistrellus pygmaeus from Uppsala, Sweden. Total RNA was extracted from the saliva and feces of individual bats and analyzed using Illumina sequencing. The results identified sequences related to 51 different viral families, including vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant viruses. These viral families include Coronaviridae, Picornaviridae, Dicistroviridae, Astroviridae, Hepeviridae, Reoviridae, Botourmiaviridae, Lispviridae, Totiviridae, Botoumiaviridae, Parvoviridae, Retroviridae, Adenoviridae, and Partitiviridae, as well as different unclassified viruses. We further characterized three near full-length genome sequences of bat coronaviruses. A phylogenetic analysis showed that these belonged to alphacoronaviruses with the closest similarity (78–99% at the protein level) to Danish and Finnish bat coronaviruses detected in Pipistrellus and Myotis bats. In addition, the full-length and the near full-length genomes of picornavirus were characterized. These showed the closest similarity (88–94% at the protein level) to bat picornaviruses identified in Chinese bats. Altogether, the results of this study show that Swedish Pipistrellus bats harbor a great diversity of viruses, some of which are closely related to mammalian viruses. This study expands our knowledge on the bat population virome and improves our understanding of the evolution and transmission of viruses among bats and to other species.
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6. |
- Cholleti, Harindranath, et al.
(author)
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House crickets (Othroptera: Gryllidae: Acheta domesticus) reared in small-scale laboratory conditions harbour limited viral flora
- 2022
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In: Journal of insects as food and feed. - 2352-4588. ; 8, s. 1149-1155
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Insects, such as crickets, are being used as a viable food source in many regions of the world, given their nutritional value for human and animal consumption. This study investigated the viral communities present in European house crickets and whether feed influences the composition of the crickets’ virome. The crickets were reared under environmentally controlled conditions and fed fresh red clover (fresh), red clover haylage (haylage), red clover hay (hay) or control feed. The viral metagenomic analysis of six replicates from each feed treatment showed that only a few reads were classified as viruses, mainly assigned to phages and insect-related viruses. A significant difference (P<0.001) was observed between the different treatments in regard to the number of viral reads. The highest number of viral reads was identified in the fresh treatment (2,568 reads), whereas the control treatment had the fewest viral reads (90). Phages were identified in all the treatments; however, they were clearly dominant in the fresh and hay feed treatments. A limited number of insect and plant viral reads from Xinmoviridae, Polydnaviridae, Metaviridae, unclassified and ‘other’ viruses were also found in all the feed treatments. The results from this study may indicate that the feed for the crickets determines the richness of the viral flora of crickets, but overall, very few viral reads were identified, making it hard to draw any conclusion regarding the impact of the feed on viral richness.
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7. |
- Cholleti, Harindranath, et al.
(author)
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Investigation of the Virome and Characterization of Issyk-Kul Virus from Swedish Myotis brandtii Bats
- 2023
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In: Pathogens. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-0817. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bats are reservoirs for many different viruses, including some that can be transmitted to and cause disease in humans and/or animals. However, less is known about the bat-borne viruses circulating in Northern European countries such as in Sweden. In this study, saliva from Myotis brandtii bats, collected from south-central Sweden, was analyzed for viruses. The metagenomic analysis identified viral sequences belonging to different viral families, including, e.g., Nairoviridae, Retroviridae, Poxviridae, Herpesviridae and Siphoviridae. Interestingly, through the data analysis, the near-complete genome of Issyk-Kul virus (ISKV), a zoonotic virus within the Nairoviridae family, was obtained, showing 95-99% protein sequence identity to previously described ISKVs. This virus is believed to infect humans via an intermediate tick host or through contact with bat excrete. ISKV has previously been found in bats in Europe, but not previously in the Nordic region. In addition, near full-length genomes of two novel viruses belonging to Picornavirales order and Tymoviridae family were characterized. Taken together, our study has not only identified novel viruses, but also the presence of a zoonotic virus not previously known to circulate in this region. Thus, the results from these types of studies can help us to better understand the diversity of viruses circulating in bat populations, as well as identify viruses with zoonotic potential that could possibly be transmitted to humans.
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8. |
- Cuevas, Julieta Sandra, et al.
(author)
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A case report of serological evidence of paramyxoviruses related to Porcine orthorubulavirus in Mexican bats
- 2022
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In: Annals of clinical case reports. - 2474-1655. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this report, we showed the presence of antibodies to Porcine orthorubulavirus (PRV) in Mexican bats using a serological approach. A total of 42 bats, belonging to seven different species, were sampled from two different refuges/caves, located near to a pig fattening area where spontaneous outbreaks of PRV had occurred. Analysis by serum-virus neutralizing and immunoperoxidase monolayer assay revealed the presence of antibodies in fifteen out of 42 investigated bats (i.e. 35%), six of them were also positive by Paramyxoviridae family using PCR assay targeting the L gene of paramyxoviruses. This case demonstrates for the first time antibodies detection of this virus in different bats species which is important for our understanding of PRV ecology, evolution and mechanism of cross-species transmission. These findings support the hypothesis that bats could act as an intermediate or natural host for interspecies transmission of certain paramyxoviruses.
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9. |
- Djurle, Annika, et al.
(author)
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Addressing biohazards to food security in primary production
- 2022
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In: Food Security. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525. ; 14, s. 1475-1497
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This review addresses ways to prepare for and to mitigate effects of biohazards on primary production of crops and livestock. These biohazards can be natural or intentional introductions of pathogens, and they can cause major economic damage to farmers, the agricultural industry, society, and international trade. Agroterrorism is the intentional introduction of animal or plant pathogens into agricultural production systems with the intention to cause socioeconomic harm and generate public fear. Although few acts of agroterrorism are reported, the threat of agroterrorism in Europe is real. New concerns about threats arise from the rapid advancements in biotechnology and emerging technologies. FORSA, an analytical framework for risk and vulnerability analysis, was used to review how to prepare for and mitigate the possible effects of natural or intentional biohazards in agricultural production. Analyzing the effects of a biohazard event involves multiple scientific disciplines. A comprehensive analysis of biohazards therefore requires a systems approach. The preparedness and ability to manage events are strengthened by bolstered farm biosecurity, increased monitoring and laboratory capacity, improved inter-agency communication and resource allocation. The focus of this review is on Europe, but the insights gained have worldwide applications. The analytical framework used here is compared to other frameworks. With climate change, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, the supply chains are challenged, and we foresee increasing food prices associated with social tensions. Our food supply chain becomes more fragile with more unknowns, thereby increasing the needs for risk and vulnerability analyses, of which FORSA is one example.
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10. |
- Ohlund, Pontus, et al.
(author)
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Transcriptome Analysis of an Aedes albopictus Cell Line Single- and Dual-Infected with Lammi Virus and WNV
- 2022
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In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 23:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding the flavivirus infection process in mosquito hosts is important and fundamental in the search for novel control strategies that target the mosquitoes' ability to carry and transmit pathogenic arboviruses. A group of viruses known as insect-specific viruses (ISVs) has been shown to interfere with the infection and replication of a secondary arbovirus infection in mosquitoes and mosquito-derived cell lines. However, the molecular mechanisms behind this interference are unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we infected the Aedes albopictus cell line U4.4 with either the West Nile virus (WNV), the insect-specific Lammi virus (LamV) or an infection scheme whereby cells were pre-infected with LamV 24 h prior to WNV challenge. The qPCR analysis showed that the dual-infected U4.4 cells had a reduced number of WNV RNA copies compared to WNV-only infected cells. The transcriptome profiles of the different infection groups showed a variety of genes with altered expression. WNV-infected cells had an up-regulation of a broad range of immune-related genes, while in LamV-infected cells, many genes related to stress, such as different heat-shock proteins, were up-regulated. The transcriptome profile of the dual-infected cells was a mix of up- and down-regulated genes triggered by both viruses. Furthermore, we observed an up-regulation of signal peptidase complex (SPC) proteins in all infection groups. These SPC proteins have shown importance for flavivirus assembly and secretion and could be potential targets for gene modification in strategies for the interruption of flavivirus transmission by mosquitoes.
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