Sunguru Virus: a novel virus in the family Rhabdoviridae isolated from a chicken in northwestern Uganda.

Ledermann JP1, Zeidner N, Borland EM, Mutebi JP, Lanciotti RS, Miller BR, Lutwama JJ, Tendo JM, Andama V, Powers AM.

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Abstract

Sunguru virus (SUNV), a novel virus belonging to the highly diverse Rhabdoviridae family, was isolated from a domestic chicken in the district of Arua, Uganda in 2011. This is the first documented isolation of a rhabdovirus from a chicken. SUNV is related to, but distinct from, Boteke virus and other members of the unclassified Sandjimba group. The genome is 11,056 kb in length and contains the five core rhabdovirus genes plus an additional C gene (within the open reading frame of the phosphoprotein gene) and a small hydrophobic protein (between the matrix and glycoprotein genes). Inoculation of vertebrate cells resulted in significant growth, with a peak titer of 7.8 log10 PFU/mL observed in baby hamster kidney cells. Little to no growth was observed in invertebrate cells and in live mosquitoes, with Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes demonstrating a 47.4% infection rate in the body but no dissemination to the salivary glands; this suggests that this novel virus is not arthropod-borne like some other members of the family Rhabdoviridae.