Mosquito-borne Orthobunyaviruses

Introduction

Orthobunyaviruses, a group of viruses with significant public and veterinary health importance, belong to the Bunyaviridaefamily in the order Bunyavirales. There are more than 170 named viruses in the Orthobunyavirus genus, which are grouped into 18 serogroups. Most orthobunyaviruses are transmitted by mosquitoes. Orthobunyaviruses are commonly implicated as causes of neuroinvasive disease. Well-known examples include the La Crosse virus (LACV), the primary cause of encephalitis in children in the United States, and the Schmallenberg virus, responsible for causing large outbreaks of central nervous system (CNS). defects in newborn ruminants in Europe and Asia.

Virology

Orthobunyavirions are spherical or pleomorphic in shape and 80-120 nm in diameter. The genomic structure of Orthobunyaviruses consists of a single-stranded negative-sense RNA, that is tri-segmented; with small (S), medium (M) and large (L) segments. These segments encode nucleocapsid protein (N protein) and a non-structural protein (NS Protein); a polyprotein which is cleaved by host protease into glycoprotein (Gn and Gc) and NSm proteins; and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, respectively. The Gn and Gc proteins form a trimer of heterodimers that create spikes on the virus particle.

Fig.1 The orthobunyavirus particle. (Elliott, 2014)

Pathogenesis

Infection is initiated by the bite of an infected arthropod and the virus spreads to striated muscle, where extensive replication occurs, which results in high viremia. The virus then spreads to most organs of the body and can cross the blood-brain barrier, where it targets neurons causing infection of the CNS.

Epidemiology

Orthobunyaviruses are primarily mosquito-borne and are distributed globally. Many orthobunyaviruses are zoonotic and have emerged as major human pathogens. LACV is a leading cause of pediatric encephalitis and aseptic meningitis in the midwestern and southern United States. Schmallenberg virus caused an outbreak of disease associated with congenital defects across the European continent. Disease due to Akabane virus has been recognized in Australia, Israel, Japan, and Korea, usually at the margins of endemic areas.

Symptoms

Usually, symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected tick. The first phase is associated with symptoms like fever, fatigue, headache, muscular ache and nausea. In the second phase, the viruses invade the CNS which gives rise to several neurological diseases including aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, or myelitis.

What Can We offer

Despite the continued impact on global health and economy, little is known about orthobunyavirus infections. No specific therapies or vaccines are available for LACV or any other orthobunyaviruses.

With highly skilled and committed experts and state-of-the-art technologies, Creative Biolabs is dedicated to meeting our clients’ needs for further orthobunyavirus studies. Numerous antibodies targeting Bunyavirus La Crosse, Bunyavirus snowshoe hare, Bwamba orthobunyavirus and Orthobunyavirus are on our catalogue. Except for primary Antibodies, we also provide secondary antibodies, isotype controls, and pseudovirus.

For more detailed information, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Elliott, R.M. Orthobunyaviruses: recent genetic and structural insights. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014, 12(10): 673-685.

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