Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
05:59
Nasal Wipes for Influenza A Virus Detection and Isolation from Swine
Published on: December 4, 2015
9.9K
Reassortment among picobirnaviruses found in wolves
Nádia Conceição-Neto1,2, João Rodrigo Mesquita3,4, Mark Zeller1
1Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Archives of Virology
|July 21, 2016
Summary
This study found reassortant picobirnaviruses in diarrheic wolves in Portugal. Wolves are confirmed as a potential reservoir for these viruses, which may act as enteric pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Wildlife Disease Ecology
Background:
- Picobirnaviruses are known enteric pathogens in various animal species.
- The role of picobirnaviruses in wildlife populations, particularly carnivores, remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the viral diversity in diarrheic free-ranging wolves.
- To identify potential viral causes of diarrhea in this wildlife population.
- To determine if wolves can act as reservoirs for picobirnaviruses.
Main Methods:
- Viral metagenomics sequencing of fecal samples from diarrheic wolves.
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify viral sequences.
- Phylogenetic analysis to characterize identified viruses.
Main Results:
- Detection of reassortant picobirnaviruses in diarrheic wolves for the first time.
- Identification of viruses with identical capsid segments and diverse RNA-dependent RNA polymerase segments.
- Confirmation of wolves as a potential reservoir for picobirnaviruses.
Conclusions:
- Free-ranging wolves in Portugal harbor reassortant picobirnaviruses.
- Wolves represent a novel potential reservoir for picobirnaviruses.
- Picobirnaviruses found in wolves may have a role as enteric pathogens.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Viral Recombination
25.5K
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
25.5K
00:36Viral Mutations
40.6K
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
40.6K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
17.6K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
17.6K