Relatives of rubella virus in diverse mammals

Abstract

We describe the first known relatives of rubella virus ( Matonaviridae : Rubivirus ) 1 in Africa and Europe. Ruhugu virus, the closest relative of rubella virus, was found in apparently healthy cyclops leaf-nosed bats ( Hipposideros cyclops ) in Uganda. Rustrela virus, outgroup to the rubella/ruhugu clade of viruses, was found in acutely encephalitic placental and marsupial animals at a zoo in Germany and in wild yellow-necked field mice ( Apodemus flavicollis ) at and near the zoo. Ruhugu and rustrela viruses share an identical genomic architecture with rubella virus 2 , 3 . Amino acid sequences of rubella, ruhugu, and rustrela viruses are moderately to highly conserved within 4 putative B-cell epitopes in the fusion (EI) protein and, in the case of rubella and ruhugu viruses, within two putative T-cell epitopes in the capsid protein 4 – 6 . Modeling of E1 homotrimers in the post-fusion state predicts similar host-cell membrane fusion capacity for ruhugu and rubella viruses 5 . Together, these findings suggest show that some members of the Matonaviridae can cross wide host species barriers and that rubella virus likely had a zoonotic origin. Our findings raise concerns about future zoonotic transmission of rubella-like viruses but open doors for heretofore impossible comparative studies and novel animal models of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome.

A novel rubi-like virus in the Pacific electric ray (Tetronarce californica) reveals the complex evolutionary history of theMatonaviridae

“…CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license perpetuity. It is made available under a preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in The copyright holder for this this version posted February 8, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.08.430315 doi: bioRxiv preprint within the E1 structural protein of RuV [30] containing four neutralising B cell epitopes N1 -N4 [31] revealed significant levels of conservation with corresponding regions in the other mammalian matonaviruses [12]. These regions were also well conserved in Tetronarce matonavirus (Figure 2), compatible with our phylogenetic results.…”

“…Tiger flathead matonavirus was identified through a meta-transcriptomic exploration of Australian marine fish [11], which, along with Guangdong Chinese water snake rubivirus, forms a sister clade to RuV. Even more recently, two novel rubella-like virus species were described: Rustrela virus, identified in several mammalian species close by and in a zoo in Germany, and Ruhugu virus from bats in Uganda [12]. These viruses represent the first non-human mammalian viruses within this family.…”

Virome composition in marine fish revealed by meta-transcriptomics

“…2018a ). Until recently, the only other representative of this family was the distantly related human rubella virus, although additional members of this family have recently been identified in other mammalian species ( Bennett et al. 2020 ).…”

“…The discovery of this phylogenetically distinct fish virus tentatively suggests the possibility of a fish host origin for this family, although it is clear that confirmation will require the sampling of a far wider set of hosts. Indeed, it is notable that additional rubella-like viruses have recently been identified in a range of mammalian hosts, including bats ( Bennett et al. 2020 ).…”

COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Call to Search for Alternative Protein Sources as Food and Feed: A Review of Possibilities

“…Moreover, a number of other viral pathogens posing a relevant public health threat have emerged in wild animals [ 4 ]. For example, the first case of Ebola virus infection in West Africa was likely acquired via exposure to fruit bats [ 8 ], the origin of rubella virus is probably also zoonotic (with cyclops leaf-nosed bats indicated as a primary host) [ 9 ], whereas human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2 are linked to the primary transmission and further mutation of simian immunodeficiency virus from chimpanzee and sooty mangabey monkeys, respectively, during preparation and consumption of their meat [ 10 , 11 ].…”