Boginia virus, a newfound hantavirus harbored by the Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) in Poland

Abstract

BackgroundGuided by decades-old reports of hantaviral antigens in the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) and the Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) in European Russia, we employed RT-PCR to analyze lung tissues of soricine shrews, captured in Boginia, Huta Dłutowska and Kurowice in central Poland during September 2010, 2011 and 2012.FindingsIn addition to Seewis virus (SWSV), which had been previously found in Eurasian common shrews elsewhere in Europe, a genetically distinct hantavirus, designated Boginia virus (BOGV), was detected in Eurasian water shrews captured in each of the three villages. Phylogenetic analysis, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, showed that BOGV formed a separate lineage distantly related to SWSV.ConclusionsAlthough the pathogenic potential of BOGV and other recently identified shrew-borne hantaviruses is still unknown, clinicians should be vigilant for unusual febrile diseases and clinical syndromes occurring among individuals reporting exposures to shrews.

Co-circulation of soricid- and talpid-borne hantaviruses in Poland

“…As determined by RT-PCR and verified by DNA sequencing, we previously demonstrated BOGV in Eurasian water shrews and SWSV in Eurasian common shrews and in Eurasian pygmy shrews from central Poland (Gu et al, 2013). In this expanded study of lung tissues from 53 Eurasian common shrews, 52 Eurasian pygmy shrews, 12 Mediterranean water shrews, 16 Eurasian water shrews and 69 European moles, we documented SWSV in six of 18 Eurasian common shrews in Chmiel, BOGV in four of 14 Eurasian water shrews from Boginia, Kurowice and Huta Dłutowska, and the co-circulation of SWSV, BOGV and NVAV and Huta Dłutowska (Table 1, Fig.…”

“…BOGV, detected in four of 14 Eurasian water shrews captured in three separate villages in central Poland (Boginia, Huta Dłutowska and Kurowice), was genetically distinct from SWSV and other representative soricine shrew-borne hantaviruses, with M- and L-segment sequence similarity of only 64.8–77.5% and 84.7–87.3% at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively (Gu et al, 2013). …”

“…cDNA, synthesized using the SuperScript III First-Strand Synthesis Systems (Invitrogen), were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR, using oligonucleotide primers designed from highly conserved regions of hantavirus genomes (Table 2) (Song et al, 2007b, 2007c, 2009; Kang et al, 2009a, 2009b; Gu et al, 2013, 2014a, 2014b). …”

“…Previously, in an exploratory study of soricine shrews in central Poland, we reported the discovery of a novel hantavirus, designated Boginia virus (BOGV), in the Eurasian water shrew, as well as the detection of SWSV in the Eurasian common shrew (Gu et al, 2013). The overlapping geographic ranges of these shrew species and the European mole prompted the present expanded study on the genetic diversity of SWSV and NVAV in central and southeastern Poland.…”

Expanded Host Diversity and Global Distribution of Hantaviruses: Implications for Identifying and Investigating Previously Unrecognized Hantaviral Diseases

“…In analyzing RNA, extracted from more than 1,500 tissues from nearly 50 shrew species collected throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa, between 1980 and 2012, we have discovered multiple genetically distinct hantaviruses, including Seewis virus (SWSV) in the Eurasian common shrew [ 83 -86 ], Ash River virus (ARRV) in the masked shrew ( Sorex cinereus ) [ 87 ], Jemez Springs virus (JMSV) in the dusky shrew ( Sorex monticolus ) [ 87 ], Kenkeme virus (KKMV) in the fl at-skulled shrew ( Sorex roboratus ) [ 88 ], Amga virus (MGAV) in the Laxmann's shrew ( Sorex caecutiens ) [ 89 ], Sarufutsu virus (SRFV) in the long-clawed shrew ( Sorex unguiculatus ) [ 90 ], Cao Bang virus (CBNV) in the Chinese mole shrew ( Anourosorex squamipes ) [ 91 ], Xinyi virus (XYIV) in the Taiwanese mole shrew ( Anourosorex yamanashi ) [ 92 ], Camp Ripley virus (RPLV) in the northern shorttailed shrew ( Blarina brevicauda ) [ 93 ], Iamonia virus (AMNV) in the southern short-tailed shrew ( Blarina carolinensis ) (unpublished), Boginia virus (BOGV) in the Eurasian water shrew [ 94 ], Azagny virus (AZGV) in the West African pygmy shrew ( Crocidura obscurior ) [ 95 ], Jeju virus (JJUV) in the Asian lesser whitetoothed shrew ( Crocidura shantungensis ) [ 96 ], Bowé virus (BOWV) in the Doucet's musk shrew ( Crocidura douceti ) [ 97 ], Uluguru virus (ULUV) in the geata mouse shrew ( Myosorex geata ) [ 98 ], and Kilimanjaro virus (KMJV) in the Kilimanjaro mouse shrew ( Myosorex zinki ) [ 98 ] (Table 9.2 ).…”