New Lineage of Lassa Virus, Togo, 2016

Abstract

We describe a strain of Lassa virus representing a putative new lineage that was isolated from a cluster of human infections with an epidemiologic link to Togo. This finding extends the known range of Lassa virus to Togo.

Keywords: Lassa fever; Lassa virus; Togo; arenaviruses Old World; viral hemorrhagic fever; viruses.

Figure

Phylogeny of the Lassa virus strain from Togo, 2016. Phylogenetic trees were inferred using BEAST2 (https://www.beast2.org/) for full-length glycoprotein precursor (A), nucleoprotein (B), and polymerase (C) genes. The analysis included representative Lassa virus strains and other Old World arenaviruses (Technical Appendix). Posterior support values are shown at the branches. Lassa virus lineages are indicated by roman numbers on the right. The branch for Mopeia and Mobala virus is shown schematically and the branches for the remaining Old World arenaviruses have been removed for clarity of presentation. The branches for the Togo strain and most closely related Lassa virus lineages are marked (red, Togo; green, lineage II; blue, lineages I and VI). The origins of the Lassa virus strains are abbreviated as follows: CIV, Côte d’Ivoire; GUI, Guinea; LIB, Liberia; MAL, Mali; NIG, Nigeria; SL, Sierra Leone.