Negeviruses found in multiple species of mosquitoes from southern Portugal: Isolation, genetic diversity, and replication in insect cell culture

- New negeviruses were detected in different species of mosquitoes.
- The near full-length genome sequence of two negeviruses (OCNV and CUNV) was obtained and analyzed.
- Phylogenetic analyses placed both viruses within the Negev-subcluster.
- OCNV replicates rapidly using a dsRNA intermediate and does not induce apoptosis in C6/36 cells.

In this report, an RT-PCR approach based on the use of degenerate primers allowed the identification of negeviruses in four different species of mosquitoes (Ochlerotatus caspius, Culex pipiens, Cx. theileri and Cx. univittatus) collected in southern Portugal. The genomes of two of these viruses, sequenced to full completion, were shown to encode all the proteins encoded by previously described negeviruses. One of these viruses induces exuberant cytopathic effect in insect cell culture, with no obvious signs of apoptosis induction, replicating very rapidly and allowing for the detection of viral genomes in the infected culture supernatant as soon as 4 h post-infection. This virus was also shown to use a dsRNA intermediate, which was found to be fully formed and active 3 h after infection. Phylogenetic analysis of two products encoded by the viral ORF1 placed both viruses among Negev virus cluster, in the recently proposed Nelorpivirus taxon.

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