Phylogeography of the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) provides a predictive framework for research on hantaviruses

Abstract

Phylogeographical partitioning of Sin Nombre and Monongahela viruses (hantaviruses) may reflect that of their primary rodent host, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Lack of a comprehensive assessment of phylogeographical variation of the host has precluded the possibility of predicting spatial limits of existing strains of these viruses or geographical regions where novel viral strains might emerge. The complete cytochrome b gene was sequenced for 206 deer mice collected from sites throughout North America to provide a foundation for future studies of spatial structure and evolution of this ubiquitous host. Bayesian analyses of these sequences partitioned deer mice into six largely allopatric lineages, some of which may represent unrecognized species. The geographical distributions of these lineages were probably shaped by Quaternary climatic events. Populations of mice were apparently restricted to refugia during glacial advances, where they experienced genetic divergence. Expansion of these populations, following climatic amelioration, brought genetically distinctive forms into contact. Occurrence of parallel changes in virus strains can now be explored in appropriate regions. In New Mexico, for example, near the location where Sin Nombre virus was first discovered, there are three genetically distinctive lineages of deer mice whose geographical ranges need to be delineated precisely. The phylogeography of P. maniculatus provides a framework for interpreting geographical variability, not only in hosts, but also in associated viral variants and disease transmission, and an opportunity to predict the potential geographical distribution of newly emerging viral strains.

Ecology, Genetic Diversity, and Phylogeographic Structure of Andes Virus in Humans and Rodents in Chile

“…Implications of host phylogeographic breaks are still poorly understood but have been related to potentially different pathogenicity (13). Human hantavirus infections in Chile have occurred across a wide geographic range.…”

Hymenolepis folkertsi n. sp. (Eucestoda: Hymenolepididae) in the oldfield mouse Peromyscus polionotus (Wagner) (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Neotominae) from the southeastern Nearctic with comments on tapeworm faunal diversity among deer mice

“…Among Muroidea, rodents unequivocally recognized as Peromyscus appear in North America during the Miocene, with some extant species present by the Pleistocene (Kurtén and Anderson 1980;Musser and Carleton 2005). Extensive diversification among species of Peromyscus occurred over the past 2 million years under episodes of habitat fragmentation linked to glacial-interglacial cycles and shifting climate during the Quaternary (e.g., Avise et al 1983;Dragoo et al 2006). The late Pliocene and Quaternary also coincided with considerable development and diversification of rodent faunas with temporally circumscribed episodes of expansion out of Eurasia into North America (Repenning 2001;Hope et al 2013).…”

“…The taxonomy and biogeography of these rodents are particularly intricate reflecting both the temporal duration of this group with origins in the late Miocene and early Pliocene in the Nearctic and the range of habitats that are occupied by various species (e.g., Kurtén and Anderson 1980;Avise et al 1983;Dragoo et al 2006). The extensive geographic range of this assemblage suggests the potential for substantial insights about the history and patterns of North American biogeography and ecology, which can be revealed by exploring diversity and faunal assembly of complex hostparasite systems (e.g., Whitaker Jr 1968;Whitaker and Hamilton 1998;Hoberg et al 2012;Makarikov et al 2013a).…”

A molecular perspective: biology of the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

“…This approach, analyzing genetic data from selectively 'neutral' markers, has also been used with success in other host -pathogen systems. For example, the phylogeography of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus was investigated to understand geographic variability of the hantaviruses infecting this species, and to predict where new viral strains may emerge (Dragoo et al 2006).…”