Origin and phylodynamics of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Peter J Kerr; Andrew Kitchen; Edward C Holmes

doi:10.1128/JVI.01523-09

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Origin and phylodynamics of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Origin and phylodynamics of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Peter J Kerr, Andrew Kitchen and Edward C Holmes

Journal of virology, Vol.83(23), pp.12129-12138

12/2009

DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01523-09

PMCID: PMC2786765

PMID: 19759153

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Abstract

To determine the origin, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary dynamics of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), we examined 210 partial and complete capsid gene nucleotide sequences. Using a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, we estimated that these sequences evolved at a rate of 3.9 x 10(-4) to 11.9 x 10(-4) nucleotide substitutions per site per year. This rate was consistent across subsets of data, was robust in response to recombination, and casts doubt on the provenance of viral strains isolated from the 1950s to the 1970s, which share strong sequence similarity to modern isolates. Using the same analysis, we inferred that the time to the most recent common ancestor for a joint group of RHDV and rabbit calicivirus sequences was <550 years ago and was <150 years ago for the RHDV isolates that have spread around the world since 1984. Importantly, multiple lineages of RHDV were clearly circulating before the major Chinese outbreak of 1984, a finding indicative of an early evolution of RHDV virulence. Four phylogenetic groups within RHDV were defined and analyzed separately. Each group shared a common ancestor in the mid-1960s or earlier, and each showed an expansion of populations starting before 1984. Notably, the group characterized by the antigenic variant RHDVa harbors the greatest genetic diversity, compatible with an elevated fitness. Overall, we contend that the high virulence of RHDV likely evolved once in the early part of the 20th century, well before the documented emergence of rabbit hemorrhagic disease in 1984.

Sequence Homology

Rabbits

Animals

Time Factors

Phylogeny

Sequence Analysis, DNA

Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Rabbit - classification

Capsid Proteins - genetics

Cluster Analysis

Evolution, Molecular

Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Rabbit - genetics

Details

Title: Subtitle: Origin and phylodynamics of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus
Creators: Peter J Kerr - CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Andrew Kitchen
Edward C Holmes
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of virology, Vol.83(23), pp.12129-12138
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01523-09
PMID: 19759153
PMCID: PMC2786765
NLM abbreviation: J Virol
ISSN: 0022-538X
eISSN: 1098-5514
Publisher: United States
Language: English
Date published: 12/2009
Academic Unit: Anthropology; International Programs
Record Identifier: 9983984520802771

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