Circulation of Diverse Genotypes of Tahyna Virus in Xinjiang, People's Republic of China

Abstract

Tahyna virus (TAHV) is a member of the California serogroup of the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Orthobunyavirus . Viruses of the genus Orthobunyavirus are arthropod-borne and possess a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA genome of three segments designated small (S), medium (M), and large (L), which encode the nucleocapsid (N), the surface polyprotein, and the polymerase protein, respectively. Tahyna virus was first isolated in Czechoslovakia in 1958 from a pool of Aedes caspius mosquitoes. 1 Since that time, TAHV has been found and shown to be associated with human illness throughout parts of Europe and Asia. [2][3][4] Typical clinical manifestations of TAHV infection include influenza-like symptoms of fever and respiratory congestion; the infection may also cause acute arthritis, pharyngitis, and complications of the central nervous system.5 Previous studies identified a high level of conservation of the TAHV genome, even though viruses were obtained from temporally distinct regions over a long period. 6,7 In 2006, TAHV was isolated for the first time in the People's Republic of China, and human infection has been confirmed in this country. 8,9 The first TAHV isolate (XJ0625) from China was obtained from Culex sp. mosquitoes in Kashi, Xinjiang. 8 Subsequently, in 2007, two TAHV isolates (XJ0708 and XJ0710) were obtained from separate pools of Aedes vexans mosquitoes obtained in Bayinguoleng, Xinjiang, approximately 900 km east of Kashi. This report describes comprehensive genomic characterization of these TAHV isolates from China. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the N protein, polyprotein, and polymerase open reading frames (ORFs) indicate a relatively high level of M segment diversity compared with that of the S and L segments of these TAHVs from China.The TAHV isolates were obtained from mosquito pools. These pools were obtained as part of arthropod-borne virus surveillance efforts in the People's Republic of China. All procedures used were performed according to manufacturer's instructions unless stated otherwise. Mosquitoes were collected in light traps, identified by morphologic characteristics, and separated by genus/species/collection site into pools of up to 50-100 specimens. The pools were triturated in minimal essential medium and clarified by centrifugation. One hundred microliters of resultant supernatants was then added to confluent layers of BHK-21 cells in six-well plates. Inoculated cells were then incubated at 37°C and inspected daily for cytopathic effects. Cells infected with supernatant from mosquito pools XJ0625 (containing 100 Culex mosquitoes that were not identified to species), XJ0708, and XJ0710 (containing 60 and 70 Ae. vexans mosquitoes in each pool, respectively) showed initial signs of cytopathic effects at day one post-inoculation. Supernatants from these cells were collected at day 2 post-inoculation and were inoculated into 25-cm 2 flasks containing BHK-21 cells. Viral RNA was extracted directly from 140 μL of infected, second passage BHK-21 cell culture supern...

The Presence and Seroprevalence of Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Nasiriyah Governorate, Southern Iraq: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The TAHV IgG titers detected in the current study were over 4-fold higher than those of the other studied orthobunyaviruses in the California serogroup (INKV and CHATV). This is consistent with the view that TAHV is widespread in Europe, 30 Russia, 31 Africa, [32][33][34][35] and Asia (southern Siberia and the Far East, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, and China), 30,[36][37][38] whereas INKV and CHATV may be restricted to northern Europe and Asia. 2,30,39 In the endemic region of Europe, approximately 5% of the general population are seropositive for TAHV, 40 and very high frequency (60-80%) of neutralizing antibodies have been reported in elderly persons in the endemic foci.…”

Mosquito-Associated Viruses in China

“…in Kashi, Xinjiang, in 2006 (Lu et al 2009 ). Subsequently, TAHV has been isolated from Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia (Cao YX et al 2011 ; Li W et al 2014 ; Lu et al 2011a ). Phylogenetic analysis generated from N segment and polymerase gene sequences indicated that all TAHV isolates from China group together.…”

“…Phylogenetic analysis generated from N segment and polymerase gene sequences indicated that all TAHV isolates from China group together. However, the analysis for the M segment showed the isolate XJ0708 aligns independently within the context of a relatively large diversity of isolates from Europe (Lu et al 2011a ).…”

“…In China, TAHV has been isolated from Aedex vexans , Aedes detritus , and Culex spp. (Li W et al 2014 ; Lu et al 2009 , 2011a ).…”

Serological surveillance for Tahyna virus (California encephalitis orthobunyavirus, Peribunyaviridae) neutralizing antibodies in wild ungulates in Austria, Hungary and Romania

“…Tahyna virus (TAHV) is a member of the mosquito‐borne virus species, California encephalitis orthobunyavirus ( Peribunyaviridae ), which contains the serologically related California serogroup viruses (e.g., La Crosse virus, Inkoo virus) (Hubálek, ). Two genetic lineages of TAHV are known, one from the European continent (Hubálek, ) and an Asian lineage described from China (Lu et al., ). Genetic variants within the European lineage, which possess biologically different properties, have been identified (Kilian, Růžek, Danielová, Hypša, & Grubhoffer, ; Kilian, Valdes, Lecina‐Casas, Chrudimský, & Růžek, ).…”