Henipavirus in Northern Short-Tailed Shrew, Alabama, USA
Rhys Parry, KayLene Yamada, Wendy R. Hood, Yang Zhao, Jinlong Y. Lu, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova, Naphak Modhiran, Daniel Watterson, Ariel Isaacs
Abstract
RNA metagenomic analysis of tissues from 4 wild-caught northern short-tailed shrews in Alabama, USA, revealed a novel henipavirus (family Paramyxoviridae). Phylogenetic analysis supported the placement of the virus within the shrew henipavirus clade, related to human-infecting shrewborne henipaviruses. Our study results highlight the presence of henipavirus infections in North America.
Topics & Concepts
ShrewGeographyVirologyBiologyGenealogyHistoryZoologyVector-Borne Animal DiseasesViral Infections and VectorsAnimal Disease Management and Epidemiology