Morphologic and Genetic Characterization of Ilheus Virus, a Potential Emergent Flavivirus in the Americas
oleh: Jessica A. Plante, Kenneth S. Plante, Vsevolod L. Popov, Divya P. Shinde, Steven G. Widen, Michaela Buenemann, Mauricio L. Nogueira, Nikos Vasilakis
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2023-01-01 |
Deskripsi
Ilheus virus (ILHV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus circulating throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. It has been detected in several mosquito genera including <i>Aedes</i> and <i>Culex</i>, and birds are thought to be its primary amplifying and reservoir host. Here, we describe the genomic and morphologic characterization of ten ILHV strains. Our analyses revealed a high conservation of both the 5′- and 3′-untranslated regions but considerable divergence within the open reading frame. We also showed that ILHV displays a typical flavivirus structural and genomic organization. Our work lays the foundation for subsequent ILHV studies to better understand its transmission cycles, pathogenicity, and emergence potential.