PLoS ONE (Jan 2014)

Full genome characterization of the culicoides-borne marsupial orbiviruses: Wallal virus, Mudjinbarry virus and Warrego viruses.

  • Manjunatha N Belaganahalli,
  • Sushila Maan,
  • Narender S Maan,
  • Ian Pritchard,
  • Peter D Kirkland,
  • Joe Brownlie,
  • Houssam Attoui,
  • Peter P C Mertens

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108379
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 10
p. e108379

Abstract

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Viruses belonging to the species Wallal virus and Warrego virus of the genus Orbivirus were identified as causative agents of blindness in marsupials in Australia during 1994/5. Recent comparisons of nucleotide (nt) and amino acid (aa) sequences have provided a basis for the grouping and classification of orbivirus isolates. However, full-genome sequence data are not available for representatives of all Orbivirus species. We report full-genome sequence data for three additional orbiviruses: Wallal virus (WALV); Mudjinabarry virus (MUDV) and Warrego virus (WARV). Comparisons of conserved polymerase (Pol), sub-core-shell 'T2' and core-surface 'T13' proteins show that these viruses group with other Culicoides borne orbiviruses, clustering with Eubenangee virus (EUBV), another orbivirus infecting marsupials. WARV shares 99%/90% aa/nt identities with each other (consistent with membership of the same virus species - Wallal virus). However, WALV and MUDV share <68% aa identity in their larger outer capsid protein VP2(OC1), consistent with membership of different serotypes within the species - WALV-1 and WALV-2 respectively.