Viruses of the family Bunyaviridae: Are all available isolates reassortants?

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 446; no. 1-2; pp. 207 - 216
• Main Authors: Briese, Thomas, Calisher, Charles H., Higgs, Stephen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Arthropoda; arthropods; Bunyaviridae; Bunyaviridae - classification; Bunyaviridae - genetics; Bunyaviridae - isolation & purification; Bunyaviridae Infections - veterinary; Bunyaviridae Infections - virology; Bunyavirus; Bunyaviruses; evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Genetic Drift; Genome segment reassortment; hosts; Humans; Infectious Disease; Orthobunyavirus; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases - virology; Plants; point mutation; Reassortant Viruses - classification; Reassortant Viruses - genetics; Reassortant Viruses - isolation & purification; RNA; RNA, Viral - genetics; Tripartite genome; vertebrates; viruses; Phylogenetics; Genome segment reassortment; Tripartite genome; Bunyaviridae; Bunyaviruses
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2013.07.030

Viruses of the family Bunyaviridae (the bunyaviruses) possess three distinct linear, single-stranded, negative sense or ambisense RNA segments (large, medium, and small). Dual infections of arthropod and perhaps vertebrate and plant hosts provide substantial opportunity for segment reassortment and an increasingly recognized number of the nearly 300 viruses in this family have been shown to be reassortants. Reassortment of RNA segments (genetic shift) complements genetic drift (accumulation of point mutations) as a powerful mechanism underlying bunyavirus evolution. Here we consider the possibility, if not likelihood, that most if not all bunyaviruses currently recognized may represent reassortants, some of which may be reassortants of existing viruses, and some of which may be reassortants of extinct viruses. If this hypothesis is correct, then the roots of the family and genus trees of bunyaviruses as currently described (or ignored) are incomplete or incorrect. •Dual infections provide bunyaviruses the opportunity for segment reassortment•It is possible that most or all currently recognized bunyaviruses are reassortants.•It is unknown whether contemporary bunyaviruses contain segments of extinct viruses.•Currently described bunyavirus phylogeny may be incorrect or incomplete.