Academ Virus, a Novel Hantavirus in the Siberian Mole (<i>Talpa altaica</i>) from Russia
Liudmila N. Yashina,
Victor V. Panov,
Sergey A. Abramov,
Natalia A. Smetannikova,
Ekaterina M. Luchnikova,
Tamara A. Dupal,
Anton V. Krivopalov,
Satoru Arai,
Richard Yanagihara
Affiliations
Liudmila N. Yashina
State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, 630559 Koltsovo, Russia
Victor V. Panov
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, 630091 Novosibirsk, Russia
Sergey A. Abramov
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, 630091 Novosibirsk, Russia
Natalia A. Smetannikova
State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, 630559 Koltsovo, Russia
Ekaterina M. Luchnikova
Department of Ecology and Environmental Management, Institute of Biology, Ecology and Natural Resources, Kemerovo State University, 650099 Kemerovo, Russia
Tamara A. Dupal
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, 630091 Novosibirsk, Russia
Anton V. Krivopalov
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, 630091 Novosibirsk, Russia
Satoru Arai
Center for Surveillance, Immunization, and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Richard Yanagihara
John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
To date, six hantavirus species have been detected in moles (family Talpidae). In this report, we describe Academ virus (ACDV), a novel hantavirus harbored by the Siberian mole (Talpa altaica) in Western Siberia. Genetic analysis of the complete S-, M-, and partial L-genomic segments showed that ACDV shared a common evolutionary origin with Bruges virus, previously identified in the European mole (Talpa europaea), and is distantly related to other mole-borne hantaviruses. Co-evolution and local adaptation of genetic variants of hantaviruses and their hosts, with possible reassortment events, might have shaped the evolutionary history of ACDV.
