Detection of Entebbe Bat Virus After 54 Years.

Detection of Entebbe Bat Virus After 54 Years.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Jun 22;
Authors: Kading RC, Kityo R, Nakayiki T, Ledermann J, Crabtree MB, Lutwama J, Miller BR
Abstract
Entebbe bat virus (ENTV; Flaviviridae: Flavivirus), closely related to yellow fever virus, was first isolated from a little free-tailed bat (Chaerephon pumilus) in Uganda in 1957, but was not detected after that initial isolation. In 2011, we isolated ENTV from a little free-tailed bat captured from the attic of a house near where it had originally been found. Infectious virus was recovered from the spleen and lung, and the viral RNA was sequenced and compared with that of the original isolate. Across the polypeptide sequence, there were 76 amino acid substitutions, resulting in 97.8% identity at the amino acid level between the 1957 and 2011 isolates. Further study of this virus would provide valuable insights into the ecological and genetic factors governing the evolution and transmission of bat- and mosquito-borne flaviviruses.
PMID: 26101270 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - June 22, 2015 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Kading RC, Kityo R, Nakayiki T, Ledermann J, Crabtree MB, Lutwama J, Miller BR Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research