Title |
Cyclic Avian Mass Mortality in the Northeastern United States Is Associated with a Novel Orthomyxovirus
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Published in |
Journal of Virology, November 2014
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DOI | 10.1128/jvi.02019-14 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Andrew B Allison, Jennifer R Ballard, Robert B Tesh, Justin D Brown, Mark G Ruder, M Kevin Keel, Brandon A Munk, Randall M Mickley, Samantha E J Gibbs, Amelia P A Travassos da Rosa, Julie C Ellis, Hon S Ip, Valerie I Shearn-Bochsler, Matthew B Rogers, Elodie Ghedin, Edward C Holmes, Colin R Parrish, Chris Dwyer |
Abstract |
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, Massachusetts, 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, which was demonstrated to have fusion activity, and 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 as 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. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Netherlands | 1 | 25% |
Lithuania | 1 | 25% |
Australia | 1 | 25% |
Unknown | 1 | 25% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 2 | 50% |
Scientists | 1 | 25% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 25% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 2% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
Denmark | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 85 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 22 | 25% |
Researcher | 15 | 17% |
Student > Master | 10 | 11% |
Student > Bachelor | 7 | 8% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 6% |
Other | 15 | 17% |
Unknown | 15 | 17% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 28 | 31% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 12% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 9 | 10% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 7 | 8% |
Environmental Science | 5 | 6% |
Other | 8 | 9% |
Unknown | 21 | 24% |