Identification of a Novel Coronavirus from a Beluga Whale by Using a
The emergence of viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Nipah virus has underscored the role of animal reservoirs in human disease and the need for reservoir surveillance. Here, we used a panviral DNA microarray to investigate the death of a captive beluga whale in an aqua...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.574.8001 http://wanglab.wustl.edu/pdfs/2008_JV_Mihindukulasuriya.pdf |
| Summary: | The emergence of viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Nipah virus has underscored the role of animal reservoirs in human disease and the need for reservoir surveillance. Here, we used a panviral DNA microarray to investigate the death of a captive beluga whale in an aquatic park. A highly divergent coronavirus, tentatively named coronavirus SW1, was identified in liver tissue from the deceased whale. Subsequently, the entire genome of SW1 was sequenced, yielding a genome of 31,686 nucleotides. Phylogenetic analysis revealed SW1 to be a novel virus distantly related to but most similar to group III coronaviruses. An estimated 75 % of emerging diseases arise from zoonotic sources (30). Zoological parks and aquariums provide a unique opportunity for emerging virus surveillance. For example, in 1999, the first harbinger of West Nile virus emergence in North America was the mysterious death of birds at the Bronx Zoo/ Wildlife Conservation Park (25). Thus, zoo populations may serve as sentinels for emerging viruses. Panviral DNA microarrays represent one approach for mas- |
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