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. 2019 Jun 14;19(1):527.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4133-x.

Molecular evidence of Tula virus in Microtus obscurus in the region of Yili, Xinjiang, China

Gang Guo  1 , Baoping Guo  1 , Xiran Wu  2 , Yuanzhi Wang  3 , Jianling Bao  1 , Yuan Ren  1 , Hongyu Li  3 , Jun Li  1 , Wenbao Zhang  4 , Hua Yao  5
Affiliations

Molecular evidence of Tula virus in Microtus obscurus in the region of Yili, Xinjiang, China

Gang Guo et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Hantaviruses are important zoonotic pathogens, and they pose a profound risk to public health. So far, there has been no evidence showing that Tula virus (TULV), one species of hantavirus, is endemic in China. In this study, we captured rodents and found that the Tula virus had infected voles in Yili region, Xinjiang, China.

Methods: Rodents were captured by flooding their burrows in mountain pasture areas in Narati, Xinyuan County, Xinjiang, China. Hantavirus L gene fragments were amplified by nest RT-PCR using genus-specific primers. Positive samples were further identified by sequencing of RT-PCR products of S gene fragment for species identification. To identify the species of captured small mammals, the rodents' cytochrome b (Cytb) was amplified by PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was used to show the clustering and evolution relationship of the viral nucleic acids.

Results: Here, 31 out of 198 voles captured (16%) were infected with TULV. Host sequencing analysis showed these voles were Microtus obscurus (M. obscurs). Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the exon region (1191 bp) of the hantavirus S gene confirmed that all of the detected amplicons were TULV, which was similar to one strain of TULV identified in Kazakhstan.

Conclusion: This is the first identification of Tula virus in China, and we found that M. obscurus acts as a natural reservoir for carrying the virus. Although the infection rate in the local human population remains unknown, the high prevalence of TULV in the small mammals in the region constitutes a risk that this putative pathogen may spread to the local population.

Keywords: China; Genetic evolution; Hantavirus; Microtus obscurus; Tula virus; Voles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Phylogenetic tree of S gene fragment. The NJ tree was constructed with the S gene fragments (nt 43–1235). Tula virus, strain (GenBank accession number)/carrying host/Location: Tula249 (Z30944), Tula76 (Z30941), Tula175 (Z30943), Tula53 (Z30942), Tula23 (Z30945)/European common voles/Central Russia; Omsk23 (AF442621)/Microtus gregalis/West Siberia, Russia; Karatal322 (AM945877)/ Microtus obscurus/Kazakhstan; GermD5–98 (AF289819), GermD63–98 (AF289821), GermD17–98(AF289820)/Microtus arvalis/Germany; Lodz1 (AF063892), Lodz2 (AF063897)/Microtus arvalis/Poland; Kosice667 (Y13980), Kosice144 (Y13979)/European common vole/East Slovakia; Serbia (AF017659)/Pitymys subterraneus/Serbia-Yugoslaviaia; Germ20 (AF164093)/ Microtus arvalis/Germany; Croatia (AF164094)/Microtus arvalis/Croatia; Koziky47 (AJ223600), Koziky76 (AJ223601)/European common vole/Czech Republic; Moravia02 (Z49915), Moravia86 (Z48573), Moravia93 (Z48574); Moravia94 (Z48741)/M. arvalis/Czech Republic. Hantavirus, strain (GenBank accession number)/carrying host: HTNV, Hantaan virus, 76–118 (M14626)/Apodemus agrarius; DOBV, Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Dobrava (L41916)/Apodemus flavicollis; SEOV, Seoul virus, Z37 (AF187082)/Rattus norvegicus; SNV, Sin Nombre virus, Sin Nombre virus 77,734 (KF537003.1)/ Peromyscus maniculatus; ANDV, Andes virus, C9717869 (NC-003466)/Oligryzomys longicaudatus; BAYV, Bayou virus (L36929)/Oryzonys palustris; PUUV, Puumala virus (KT247597)/Myodes glareolus; PHV: Prospect Hill virus, (Z49098)/ Microtus pennsylvanicus; ISLAV, Isla Vista virus (U19302)/Microtus pennsylvanicus; LX307, unconfirmed hantavirus (HM756286)/Eothenomys milemiletus/Yunnan Province, China. *virus strain reported in this article
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Alignment of partial nucleocapsid protein sequences of Tula virus (TULV). Amino acids that matched those of TULV are highlighted in gray. ORF: Open Reading Frame; UTR: Untranslated Region
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