Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya

Introduction: Emerging tick-borne viruses of medical and veterinary importance are increasingly being reported globally. This resurgence emphasizes the need for sustained surveillance to provide insights into tick-borne viral diversity and associated potential public health risks. We report on a vir...

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Main Authors: Koka, H., Langat, S., Oyola, Samuel O., Cherop, F., Rotich, G., Mutisya, J., Ofula, V., Limbaso, K., Ongus, J.R., Lutomiah, J., Sang, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152337
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author Koka, H.
Langat, S.
Oyola, Samuel O.
Cherop, F.
Rotich, G.
Mutisya, J.
Ofula, V.
Limbaso, K.
Ongus, J.R.
Lutomiah, J.
Sang, R.
author_browse Cherop, F.
Koka, H.
Langat, S.
Limbaso, K.
Lutomiah, J.
Mutisya, J.
Ofula, V.
Ongus, J.R.
Oyola, Samuel O.
Rotich, G.
Sang, R.
author_facet Koka, H.
Langat, S.
Oyola, Samuel O.
Cherop, F.
Rotich, G.
Mutisya, J.
Ofula, V.
Limbaso, K.
Ongus, J.R.
Lutomiah, J.
Sang, R.
author_sort Koka, H.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Introduction: Emerging tick-borne viruses of medical and veterinary importance are increasingly being reported globally. This resurgence emphasizes the need for sustained surveillance to provide insights into tick-borne viral diversity and associated potential public health risks. We report on a virus tentatively designated Kinna virus (KIV) in the family <i>Phenuiviridae</i> and genus <i>Bandavirus</i>. The virus was isolated from a pool of <i>Amblyomma gemma</i> ticks from Kinna in Isiolo County, Kenya. High throughput sequencing of the virus isolate revealed close relatedness to the Guertu virus. The virus genome is consistent with the described genomes of other members of the genus <i>Bandavirus</i>, with nucleotides lengths of 6403, 3332 and 1752 in the Large (L), Medium (M) and Small (S) segments respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus clustered with Guertu virus although it formed a distinct and well supported branch. The RdRp amino acid sequence had a 93.3% identity to that of Guertu virus, an indication that the virus is possibly novel. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in 125 (38.6%, 95% CI 33.3–44.1%) of the human sera from the communities in this region. In vivo experiments showed that the virus was lethal to mice with death occurring 6–9 days post-infection. The virus infected mammalian cells (Vero cells) but had reduced infectivity in the mosquito cell line (C636) tested. Conclusion: Isolation of this novel virus with the potential to cause disease in human and animal populations necessitates the need to evaluate its public health significance and contribution to disease burden in the affected regions. This also points to the need for continuous monitoring of vector and human populations in high-risk ecosystems to update pathogen diversity.
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spelling CGSpace1523372025-10-26T12:55:08Z Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya Koka, H. Langat, S. Oyola, Samuel O. Cherop, F. Rotich, G. Mutisya, J. Ofula, V. Limbaso, K. Ongus, J.R. Lutomiah, J. Sang, R. health viruses Introduction: Emerging tick-borne viruses of medical and veterinary importance are increasingly being reported globally. This resurgence emphasizes the need for sustained surveillance to provide insights into tick-borne viral diversity and associated potential public health risks. We report on a virus tentatively designated Kinna virus (KIV) in the family <i>Phenuiviridae</i> and genus <i>Bandavirus</i>. The virus was isolated from a pool of <i>Amblyomma gemma</i> ticks from Kinna in Isiolo County, Kenya. High throughput sequencing of the virus isolate revealed close relatedness to the Guertu virus. The virus genome is consistent with the described genomes of other members of the genus <i>Bandavirus</i>, with nucleotides lengths of 6403, 3332 and 1752 in the Large (L), Medium (M) and Small (S) segments respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus clustered with Guertu virus although it formed a distinct and well supported branch. The RdRp amino acid sequence had a 93.3% identity to that of Guertu virus, an indication that the virus is possibly novel. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in 125 (38.6%, 95% CI 33.3–44.1%) of the human sera from the communities in this region. In vivo experiments showed that the virus was lethal to mice with death occurring 6–9 days post-infection. The virus infected mammalian cells (Vero cells) but had reduced infectivity in the mosquito cell line (C636) tested. Conclusion: Isolation of this novel virus with the potential to cause disease in human and animal populations necessitates the need to evaluate its public health significance and contribution to disease burden in the affected regions. This also points to the need for continuous monitoring of vector and human populations in high-risk ecosystems to update pathogen diversity. 2024-09-20 2024-09-23T10:43:18Z 2024-09-23T10:43:18Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152337 en Open Access Koka, H., Langat, S., Oyola, S., Cherop, F., Rotich, G., Mutisya, J., Ofula, V., Limbaso, K., Ongus, J.R., Lutomiah, J. and Sang, R. 2024. Detection and prevalence of a novel <i>Bandavirus</i> related to Guertu virus in <i>Amblyomma gemma</i> ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya. PLOS ONE 19(9): e0310862.
spellingShingle health
viruses
Koka, H.
Langat, S.
Oyola, Samuel O.
Cherop, F.
Rotich, G.
Mutisya, J.
Ofula, V.
Limbaso, K.
Ongus, J.R.
Lutomiah, J.
Sang, R.
Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title_full Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title_fullStr Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title_short Detection and prevalence of a novel Bandavirus related to Guertu virus in Amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in Isiolo County, Kenya
title_sort detection and prevalence of a novel bandavirus related to guertu virus in amblyomma gemma ticks and human populations in isiolo county kenya
topic health
viruses
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152337
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