Japanese Encephalitis Virus Genotypes 1 and 3 Isolation in Kochi, Japan

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol. 76; no. 2; pp. 151 - 154
• Main Authors: Matsui, Kiyohiko, Yamaya, Miyuki, Takase, Mina, Morita, Koichi, Tajima, Shigeru, Lim, Chang-Kweng, Saijo, Masayuki, Daibata, Masanori, Nagayasu, Seiji, Takasaki, Tomohiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases 31.03.2023; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Amino acid sequence; Animals; Cattle; cow; Encephalitis; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese; Encephalitis, Japanese - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Japanese - veterinary; Female; flavivirus; Genotype; genotype 3; Genotypes; Japan - epidemiology; Japanese encephalitis virus; Nucleotide sequence; Nucleotides; Phylogeny; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Vector-borne diseases; Viruses; Japan; Japanese encephalitis virus; cow; genotype 3; flavivirus
• ISSN: 1344-6304; 1884-2836
• DOI: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2020.941

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne virus belonging to the JEV serocomplex within the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae. It has 5 genotypes, G1–G5, based on the envelope (E) protein nucleotide sequence. JEV G3 circulated in Japan until the early 1990s when it was replaced by G1. JEV G3 was isolated from swine serum samples (sw/Kochi/1/2004) in the Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, in 2004. In addition, the 2018 isolates from pigs and cows (sw/Kochi/492/2018 and bo/Kochi/211/2018) in the same prefecture were identified as G3. The nucleotide sequencing results of the sw/Kochi/492/2018 and bo/Kochi/211/2018 polyprotein region differed from those of the sw/Kochi/1/2004 strain described in our previous report. Seven JEV isolates were identified as G1 in the same geographical area as that in this study. This result indicates that both JEV G1 and G3 are present in the Kochi area.