Viral evolution and insects as a possible virologic turning table |
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Authors: | Hans Koblet |
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Institution: | (1) Institute for Medical Microbiology, University of Berne, Friedbühlstrasse 51, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland |
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Abstract: | Summary Three lines of observation demonstrate the role of arthropods in transmission and evolution of viruses. a) Recent outbreaks
of viruses from their niches took place and insects have played a major role in propagating the viruses. b) Examination of
the list of viral families and their hosts shows that many infect invertebrates (I) and vertebrates (V) or (I) and plants
(P) or all kingdoms (VIPs). This notion holds true irrespective of the genome type. At first glance the argument seems to
be weak in the case of enveloped and non-enveloped RNA viruses with single-stranded (ss) segmented or non-segmented genomes
of positive (+) or negative polarity. Here, there are several families infecting V or P only; no systematic relation to arthropods
is found. c) In the non-enveloped plant viruses with ss RNA genomes there is a strong tendency for segmentation and individual
packaging of the genome pieces. This is in contrast to ss+ RNA animal viruses and can only be explained by massive transmission
by seed or insects or both, because individual packaging necessitates a multihit infection. Comparisons demonstrate relationships
in the nonstructural proteins of double-stranded and ss+ RNA viruses irrespective of host range, segmentation, and envelope.
Similar conclusions apply for the negative-stranded RNA viruses. Thus, viral supergroups can be created that infect V or P
and exploit arthropods for infection or transmission or both. Examples of such relationships and explanations for viral evolution
are reviewed and the arthropod orders important for cell culture are given. |
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Keywords: | arthropods superfamily and host range viral evolution reassortment recombination substitution |
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