Diversity among tacaribe serocomplex viruses (family Arenaviridae) naturally associated with the white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) in the southwestern United States

Abstract

Bayesian analyses of glycoprotein precursor and nucleocapsid protein gene sequences indicated that arenaviruses naturally associated with white-throated woodrats in central Arizona are phylogenetically closely related to the Whitewater Arroyo virus prototype strain AV 9310135, which originally was isolated from a white-throated woodrat captured in northwestern New Mexico. Pairwise comparisons of glycoprotein precursor and nucleocapsid protein amino acid sequences revealed extensive diversity among arenaviruses isolated from white-throated woodrats captured in different counties in central Arizona and extensive diversity between these viruses and Whitewater Arroyo virus strain AV 9310135. It was concluded that the viruses isolated from the white-throated woodrats captured in Arizona represent 2 novel species (Big Brushy Tank virus and Tonto Creek virus) and that these species should be included with Whitewater Arroyo virus in a species complex within the Tacaribe serocomplex (family Arenaviridae, genus Arenavirus).

FIG. 1.

Map of Arizona showing the 11 localities at which the 420 white-throated woodrats (Neotoma albigula) were captured. At least 1 white-throated woodrat at each locality was antibody-positive to WWAV strain AV 9310135. The filled circles indicate the localities at which at least 1 antibody-positive white-throated woodrat was virus-positive. The unfilled circles indicate the localities at which none of the antibody-positive white-throated woodrats were virus-positive.

FIG. 2.

Phylogenetic relationships among 28 New World arenaviruses based on Bayesian analyses of (A) glycoprotein precursor gene sequences and (B) nucleocapsid protein gene sequences. The lengths of the scale bars are equivalent to 100 changes. The number(s) at the nodes are Bayesian posterior probability values for support of the clades. Clade probability values less than 0.94 were not listed. The branch labels in (B) include (in the following order): virus species, strain, host species, and country. ALLV, Allpahuayo virus; AMAV, Amapari virus; BBTV, Big Brushy Tank virus; BCNV, Bear Canyon virus; CPXV, Cupixi virus; CTNV, Catarina virus; FLEV, Flexal virus; GTOV, Guanarito virus; JUNV, Junin virus; LATV, Latino virus; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; MACV, Machupo virus; OLVV, Oliveros virus; PARV, Paraná virus; PICV, Pichindé virus; PIRV, Pirital virus; SABV, Sabiá virus; TAMV, Tamiami virus; TCRV, Tacaribe virus; TTCV, Tonto Creek virus; WWAV, Whitewater Arroyo virus. Aspp, Artibeus species (frugivorous bats); Bobs, Bolomys obscurus (dark bolo mouse); Ccal, Calomys callosus (large vesper mouse); Csp, Calomys species; Hsap, Homo sapiens (human); Nalb, Neotoma albigula (white-throated woodrat); Ngui, Neacomys guianae (Guiana bristly mouse); Nmic, Neotoma micropus (southern plains woodrat); Oalb, Oryzomys albigularis (Tomes's oryzomys); Obic, Oecomys bicolor (bicolored arboreal rice rat); Obuc, Oryzomys buccinatus (Paraguayan rice rat); Ocap, Oryzomys capito (large-headed rice rat); Osp, Oryzomys species; Pcal, Peromyscus californicus (California mouse); Sals, Sigmodon alstoni (Alston's cotton rat); Shis, Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat). Arg, Argentina; Bol, Bolivia; Bra, Brazil; Col, Colombia; Par, Paraguay; Per, Peru; Tri, Trinidad; USA, United States of America (Az, Arizona; Ca, California; Fl, Florida; NM, New Mexico; Tx, Texas); Ven, Venezuela. The LCMV strain WE is an Old World arenavirus and was included in the analysis to enable inference of the ancestral node among the New World arenaviruses.