Identification of a Novel Hepacivirus in Southeast Asian Shrew (<i>Crocidura fuliginosa</i>) from Yunnan Province, China
Ling Guo,
Bei Li,
Peiyu Han,
Na Dong,
Yan Zhu,
Fuli Li,
Haorui Si,
Zhengli Shi,
Bo Wang,
Xinglou Yang,
Yunzhi Zhang
Affiliations
Ling Guo
Yunnan Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Pathogenic Plant Resources Screening, Yunnan Province Key University Laboratory of Zoonoses Cross-Border Prevention and Quarantine, Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
Bei Li
Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Peiyu Han
Yunnan Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Pathogenic Plant Resources Screening, Yunnan Province Key University Laboratory of Zoonoses Cross-Border Prevention and Quarantine, Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
Na Dong
Yunnan Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Pathogenic Plant Resources Screening, Yunnan Province Key University Laboratory of Zoonoses Cross-Border Prevention and Quarantine, Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
Yan Zhu
Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Fuli Li
Yunnan Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Pathogenic Plant Resources Screening, Yunnan Province Key University Laboratory of Zoonoses Cross-Border Prevention and Quarantine, Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
Haorui Si
Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Zhengli Shi
Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Bo Wang
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Xinglou Yang
Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Information, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650023, China
Yunzhi Zhang
Yunnan Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Pathogenic Plant Resources Screening, Yunnan Province Key University Laboratory of Zoonoses Cross-Border Prevention and Quarantine, Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China
The genus Hepacivirus contains single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Flaviviridae, which comprises 14 species. These 14 hepaciviruses have been found in different mammals, such as primates, dogs, bats, and rodents. To date, Hepacivirus has not been reported in the shrew genus of Crocidura. To study the prevalence and genetic evolution of Hepacivirus in small mammals in Yunnan Province, China, molecular detection of Hepacivirus in small mammals from Yunnan Province during 2016 and 2017 was performed using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Our results showed that the overall infection rate of Hepacivirus in small mammals was 0.12% (2/1602), and the host animal was the Southeast Asian shrew (Crocidura fuliginosa) (12.5%, 2/16). Quantitative real-time PCR showed that Hepacivirus had the highest viral RNA copy number in the liver. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the hepaciviruses obtained in this study does not belong to any designated species of hepaciviruses and forms an independent clade. To conclude, a novel hepacivirus was identified for the first time in C. fuliginosa specimens from Yunnan Province, China. This study expands the host range and viral diversity of hepaciviruses.
