Genetic, Morphological and Antigenic Relationships between Mesonivirus Isolates from Australian Mosquitoes and

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Natalee D Newton1, Agathe M G Colmant1, Caitlin A O'Brien1

  • 1School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia.

Viruses
|October 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Mesoniviridae, a mosquito-specific virus family, were characterized. Casuarina virus and Nam Dinh virus isolates showed genetic and antigenic similarities, suggesting horizontal transmission in mosquitoes.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Arthropod-borne viruses
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Mesoniviridae is a newly classified virus family within the Nidovirales order.
  • Unlike other nidoviruses, mesoniviruses exclusively infect mosquito hosts, lacking vertebrate hosts.
  • Limited data exists on mesonivirus morphology, antigenicity, and specific research tools.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the genetic relationships between Australian isolates of Alphamesonivirus 4 (Casuarina virus-CASV) and Alphamesonivirus 1 (Nam Dinh virus-NDiV).
  • To investigate the morphological and antigenic characteristics of these mesoniviruses.
  • To explore potential transmission mechanisms in nature.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic sequencing of recent Australian CASV and NDiV isolates from mosquitoes.
  • Electron microscopy for virion morphology analysis.
  • Monoclonal antibody assays to assess antigenic relationships.
  • Detection of viral RNA on preserved insect samples.

Main Results:

  • Australian NDiV isolates exhibited high nucleotide (99%) and amino acid (99%) identity to the Vietnam prototype.
  • Australian CASV isolates showed 95-96% nucleotide and 91-92% amino acid identity to the Darwin prototype.
  • Electron microscopy revealed similar virion diameters (≈80 nm) and spike lengths (≈10 nm) for both viruses.
  • A close antigenic relationship was observed, with 13 out of 34 monoclonal antibodies recognizing both CASV and NDiV.
  • NDiV RNA was detected on preserved samples from wild mosquitoes, indicating potential horizontal transmission.

Conclusions:

  • Australian mesonivirus isolates are genetically and antigenically closely related to their respective prototypes.
  • Mesoniviruses share conserved morphological features.
  • Horizontal transmission among insects is a plausible mechanism for mesonivirus spread in nature.
Keywords:
FTA cardinsect-specific virusmesonivirusmonoclonal antibodynidovirus

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