Diverse novel phleboviruses in sandflies from the Panama Canal area, Central Panama

Abstract

The genus Phlebovirus (order Bunyavirales, family Phenuiviridae) comprises 57 viruses that are grouped into nine species-complexes. Sandfly-transmitted phleboviruses are found in Europe, Africa and the Americas and are responsible for febrile illness and infections of the nervous system in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of sandfly-transmitted phleboviruses in connected and isolated forest habitats throughout the Panama Canal area in Central Panama. In total, we collected 13 807 sandflies comprising eight phlebotomine species. We detected several strains pertaining to five previously unknown viruses showing maximum pairwise identities of 45–78 % to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genes of phleboviruses. Entire coding regions were directly sequenced from infected sandflies as virus isolation in cell culture was not successful. The viruses were tentatively named La Gloria virus (LAGV), Mona Grita virus (MOGV), Peña Blanca virus (PEBV), Tico virus (TICV) and Tres Almendras virus (TRAV). Inferred phylogenies and p-distance-based analyses revealed that PEBV groups with the Bujaru phlebovirus species-complex, TRAV with the Candiru phlebovirus species-complex and MOGV belongs to the proposed Icoarci phlebovirus species-complex, whereas LAGV and TICV seem to be distant members of the Bujaru phlebovirus species-complex. No specific vector or habitat association was found for any of the five viruses. Relative abundance of sandflies was similar over habitat types. Our study shows that blood-feeding insects originating from remote and biodiverse habitats harbour multiple previously unknown phleboviruses. These viruses should be included in future surveillance studies to assess their geographic distribution and to elucidate if these viruses cause symptoms of disease in animals or humans.

Forest disturbance and vector transmitted diseases in the lowland tropical rainforest of central Panama

“…We also argue that idiosyncratic findings show that the DEH was effectively applied to a narrow group of zoonotic diseases associated with rodents or tick vectors (e.g. hantaviruses and Lyme), leaving unsupported many other neglected zoonotic diseases, especially those transmitted by Neotropical dipterans . To achieve an integrated surveillance system for disease‐causing pathogen in Panama, it will be necessary to know beforehand which arthropod species are present and could play a role in disease transmission.…”

“…Mosquitoes transmit many important diseases worldwide, including malaria and arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Yellow Fever and West Nile . Sand flies and biting midges are also involved in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens such as Leishmania and Phlebovirus , although their roles in the emergence of vector‐borne pathogens are relatively less known than the role of mosquitoes . Changes in the biodiversity, species composition and abundance of these dipteran assemblages in response to forest disturbance could impact vector–host interactions and/or vector demography, ultimately affecting the outcomes of disease emergence.…”

Insights into the Evolutionary Origin of Mediterranean Sandfly Fever Viruses

“…Together with the initial RdRp screening fragment, the sequences were subjected to an iterated reference mapping of filtered HTS reads to the respective sequence using Geneious mapper (30). Genome gaps and ends were amplified by conventional seminested RT-PCR as described earlier (29). PCR products were Sanger sequenced.…”

Sloths host Anhanga virus‐related phleboviruses across large distances in time and space

“…Future studies should address the identification of arthropod vectors involved in the life cycle of ANHV‐related viruses, as well as seroprevalence studies to ascertain their vertebrate hosts and zoonotic potential. Serological studies should ideally rely on both ANHV and PEHV isolates, since even the genetically closely related ANHV and PEHV may not cross‐react in serological assays, given the lack of cross‐reactivity between phleboviruses showing comparable genomic distances in their L and M genes (Marklewitz, Dutari, et al, ).…”