A tortoise-infecting picornavirus expands the host range of the family Picornaviridae

Arch Virol. 2015 May;160(5):1319-23. doi: 10.1007/s00705-015-2366-6. Epub 2015 Feb 28.

Abstract

While picornaviruses can cause diseases in many mammals, little is known of their host range for replication in non-mammalian vertebrates. Here, a picornavirus in liver and kidney tissues from diseased Sulawesi tortoises (Indotestudo forsteni) was genetically characterized. Tortoise rafivirus A (ToRaV-A, KJ415177) represents a potential new genus in the family Picornaviridae, for which we propose the name "Rafivirus". Our finding confirms the susceptibility of reptiles to picornaviruses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chordata / virology*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Host Specificity*
  • Kidney / virology
  • Liver / virology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Picornaviridae / classification
  • Picornaviridae / isolation & purification*
  • Picornaviridae / physiology*
  • Picornaviridae Infections / veterinary*
  • Picornaviridae Infections / virology
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Homology

Substances

  • RNA, Viral

Associated data

  • GENBANK/KJ415177