Genomic characterization, detection and molecular evolution of arthropod-borne viruses of the family Bunyaviridae

Abstract

The genomic characterization, detection and evolution of arthropod-borne human pathogens and related viruses of the family Bunyaviridae are presented. This study began with the determination of primary nucleotide sequence data for a diversity of bunyaviruses of interest that were not previously characterized at the genetic level. Following molecular characterization, an RT-PCR strategy was designed, according to previously determined and newly derived nucleotide sequence data, to target S genomic segments of 47 viruses, including 29 arthropod-borne human pathogens, of the family Bunyaviridae. Following development, this strategy was used, in some instances with an expanded capacity for the detection of multiple segments of the bunyavirus genome, for the identification of arthropod-borne bunyaviruses of medical importance and novel circumstance at a global level. Phylogenetic analyses performed on nucleotide sequence data generated by these efforts facilitate an ancestral understanding of the discovered agents. Finally, advanced molecular and phylogenetic analyses of a subset of newly derived sequences are described here to facilitate an enhanced understanding of the evolution of Bunyaviridae.