Reassortment and distinct evolutionary dynamics of Rift Valley Fever virus genomic segments

Citations Over TimeTop 17% of 2015 papers

Abstract

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a member of Bunyaviridae family that causes a febrile disease affecting mainly ruminants and occasionally humans in Africa, with symptoms that range from mid to severe. RVFV has a tri-segmented ssRNA genome that permits reassortment and could generate more virulent strains. In this study, we reveal the importance of reassortment for RVFV evolution using viral gene genealogy inference and phylodynamics. We uncovered seven events of reassortment that originated RVFV lineages with discordant origins among segments. Moreover, we also found that despite similar selection regimens, the three segments have distinct evolutionary dynamics; the longer segment L evolves at a significant lower rate. Episodes of discordance between population size estimates per segment also coincided with reassortment dating. Our results show that RVFV segments are decoupled enough to have distinct demographic histories and to evolve under different molecular rates.

Related Papers

• → Rift Valley fever virus (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus): an update on pathogenesis, molecular epidemiology, vectors, diagnostics and prevention(2010)618 cited
• → Rift Valley Fever: An Emerging Mosquito-Borne Disease(2016)333 cited
• → Rift Valley Fever Virus(2005)175 cited
• → INDUCTION OF SEVERE DISEASE IN HAMSTERS BY TWO SANDFLY FEVER GROUP VIRUSES, PUNTA TORO AND GABEK FOREST (PHLEBOVIRUS, BUNYAVIRIDAE), SIMILAR TO THAT CAUSED BY RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS(2003)47 cited
• → Serological evidence in sheep suggesting phlebovirus circulation in a Rift Valley fever enzootic area in Burkina Faso(1992)17 cited