Identification and Genetic Characterization of a Novel Respirovirus in Alpine Chamois (<i>Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra</i>)
2020
Camilla Luzzago | Erika Ebranati | Antonio Lavazza | Martina Besozzi | Gianguglielmo Zehender | Paolo Lanfranchi | Stefania Lauzi
The <i>Respirovirus</i> genus, family <i>Paramamixoviridae</i>, includes respiratory viral pathogens. Here we report the identification and genetic characterization of a respirovirus in an Alpine chamois showing interstitial pneumonia associated with catarrhal bronchopneumonia. The full-genome characterization of this respirovirus, named ChamoisRV/IT2014, revealed low similarities to caprine respirovirus (77.1%), bovine respirovirus (74.5%) and human respirovirus (72.0%). The phylogenetic analyses based on the full-length genome sequence of the novel isolate and reference respirovirus strains showed that ChamoisRV/IT2014 clustered with caprine respirovirus but formed a separate branch. The phylogenetic tree topology of complete large protein amino acid sequences, representing the current species demarcation criterion for Respirovirus genus, showed a 0.05 branch length of ChamoisRV/IT2014 sequence between the nearest node and the tip of the branch, suggesting that this virus belongs to a novel species. This new isolate in a new host species raises several questions to be addressed on the epidemiological role of chamois and the risks of cross-transmission between wild ruminants and livestock.
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