The Distribution of <i>Puumala orthohantavirus</i> Genome Variants Correlates with the Regional Landscapes in the Trans-Kama Area of the Republic of Tatarstan
Yuriy N. Davidyuk,
Emmanuel Kabwe,
Anton F. Shamsutdinov,
Anna V. Knyazeva,
Ekaterina V. Martynova,
Ruzilya K. Ismagilova,
Vladimir A. Trifonov,
Tatiana A. Savitskaya,
Guzel S. Isaeva,
Richard A. Urbanowicz,
Svetlana F. Khaiboullina,
Albert A. Rizvanov,
Sergey P. Morzunov
Affiliations
Yuriy N. Davidyuk
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Emmanuel Kabwe
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Anton F. Shamsutdinov
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Anna V. Knyazeva
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Ekaterina V. Martynova
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Ruzilya K. Ismagilova
OpenLab “Omics Technology”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Vladimir A. Trifonov
Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia
Tatiana A. Savitskaya
Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia
Guzel S. Isaeva
Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia
Richard A. Urbanowicz
Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
Svetlana F. Khaiboullina
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Albert A. Rizvanov
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Sergey P. Morzunov
OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
In the European part of Russia, the highest number of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) cases are registered in the Volga Federal District (VFD), which includes the Republic of Tatarstan (RT). Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is the main causative agent of HFRS identified in the RT. The goal of the current study is to analyze the genetic variations of the PUUV strains and possible presence of chimeric and reassortant variants among the PUUV strains circulating in bank vole populations in the Trans-Kama area of the RT. Complete S segment CDS as well as partial M and L segment coding nucleotide sequences were obtained from 40 PUUV-positive bank voles and used for the analysis. We found that all PUUV strains belonged to RUS genetic lineage and clustered in two subclades corresponding to the Western and Eastern Trans-Kama geographic areas. PUUV strains from Western Trans-Kama were related to the previously identified strain from Teteevo in the Pre-Kama area. It can be suggested that the PUUV strains were introduced to the Teteevo area as a result of the bank voles’ migration from Western Trans-Kama. It also appears that physical obstacles, including rivers, could be overcome by migrating rodents under favorable circumstances. Based on results of the comparative and phylogenetic analyses, we propose that bank vole distribution in the Trans-Kama area occurred upstream along the river valleys, and that watersheds could act as barriers for migrations. As a result, the diverged PUUV strains could be formed in closely located populations. In times of extensive bank vole population growth, happening every 3–4 years, some regions of watersheds may become open for contact between individual rodents from neighboring populations, leading to an exchange of the genetic material between divergent PUUV strains.
