Mouyassue virus (MOUV) is a novel, single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA orthohantavirus. It was discovered in 2011 through RNA detection in liver tissues of banana serotine bats (Afronycteris nanus, formerly Neoromicia nanus; family Vespertilionidae) in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa.
Classification
Mouyassue virus is classified within the genus Mobatvirus (or Loanvirus in some taxonomic schemes) of the family Hantaviridae. Phylogenetic analysis of partial L-segment sequences using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods revealed that Mouyassue virus is highly divergent and basal to most other rodent- and soricomorph-borne hantaviruses, except for Nova virus found in the European common mole (Talpa europaea). It exhibits low nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity (less than 69%) to all representative soricomorph- and rodent-associated hantaviruses.
Natural Reservoir
The banana pipistrelle bat (Neoromicia nanus, also known as Afronycteris nanus) found in Côte d'Ivoire is the natural reservoir of Mouyassue virus. It shares a common lineage with the Magboi virus (MGBV), which was found in the hairy slit-faced bat (Nycteris hispida) in Sierra Leone.
Genetics
The virus has a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA genome. Its genetic divergence from previously known hantaviruses suggests an ancient evolutionary lineage, and its discovery in bats supports the hypothesis that bats may serve as ancestral reservoirs for hantaviruses.
References
- Sumibcay L, Kadjo B, Gu SH, Kang HJ, Lim BK, Cook JA, Song JW, Yanagihara R (2012). "Divergent lineage of a novel hantavirus in the banana pipistrelle (Neoromicia nanus) in Côte d'Ivoire". Virol. J. 9: 34. doi:10.1186/1743-422X-9-34. PMC 3331809. PMID 22281072.
- Weiss S, Witkowski PT, Auste B, Nowak K, Weber N, Fahr J, et al. (2012). "Hantavirus in bat, Sierra Leone". Emerg Infect Dis. 18 (1): 159–161. doi:10.3201/eid1801.111026. PMC 3310113. PMID 22261176.
