Ruhugu virus

Rubivirus ruteetense
Virus classification
(unranked):	Virus
Realm:	Riboviria
Kingdom:	Orthornavirae
Phylum:	Kitrinoviricota
Class:	Alsuviricetes
Order:	Hepelivirales
Family:	Matonaviridae
Genus:	Rubivirus
Species:	Rubivirus ruteetense
Synonyms
	Ruhugu virus;

Ruhugu virus, scientific name Rubivirus ruteetense, is a species of virus in the genus Rubivirus. It was discovered in 2019 in healthy Ugandan bats. It belongs to the family of Matonaviridae, a single-stranded RNA of positive polarity which is enclosed by an icosahedral capsid.

Discovery and habitat[]

Ruhugu virus was discovered in healthy Cyclops roundleaf bats in Kibale National Park, Uganda.^[2] prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while looking for coronaviruses carried by bats.^[3]

Etymology[]

Ruhugu virus was named after the Ruteete region of Uganda and the word in the local Tooro language, which describes "the flapping of bat wings in the hollow of a tree: obuhuguhugu"^[3]

Structure[]

Ruhugu virus is closely related to Rubella virus and differs in only one amino acid in the protein it uses to get into host cells.^[4] In the fusion protein of the virus and two putative T cell epitopes in the capsid protein of the ruhugu virus the amino acid sequences of four putative B cell epitopes are moderately to highly conserved, suggesting ruhugu viruses have a similar capacity for fusion with the host-cell membrane like rubella virus.^[5]

References[]

^ Bennett AJ, Paskey AC, Ebinger A, Kuhn JH, Bishop-Lilly KA, Beer M, Goldberg TL (31 July 2020). "Create two new species and rename one species in genus Rubivirus (Hepelivirales: Matonaviridae)" (docx). International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^ Gibbons, Ann (7 October 2020). "Newly discovered viruses suggest 'German measles' jumped from animals to humans". Science. doi:10.1126/science.abf1520. S2CID 225112037.
^ ^a ^b Kelly April Tyrrell (7 October 2020). "First relatives of rubella virus discovered in bats in Uganda and mice in Germany". phys.org. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
^ Bennett, Andrew (2020). "Relatives of rubella virus in diverse mammals". Nature. 586 (7829): 424–428. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..424B. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2812-9. PMC 7572621. PMID 33029010.
^ Bennett, Andrew J.; Paskey, Adrian C.; Ebinger, Arnt; Pfaff, Florian; Priemer, Grit; Höper, Dirk; Breithaupt, Angele; Heuser, Elisa; Ulrich, Rainer G.; Kuhn, Jens H.; Bishop-Lilly, Kimberly A. (7 October 2020). "Relatives of rubella virus in diverse mammals". Nature. 586 (7829): 424–428. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..424B. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2812-9. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 7572621. PMID 33029010.

[1] Bennett AJ, Paskey AC, Ebinger A, Kuhn JH, Bishop-Lilly KA, Beer M, Goldberg TL (31 July 2020). "Create two new species and rename one species in genus Rubivirus (Hepelivirales: Matonaviridae)" (docx). International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Retrieved 15 May 2021.

[science-2] Gibbons, Ann (7 October 2020). "Newly discovered viruses suggest 'German measles' jumped from animals to humans". Science. doi:10.1126/science.abf1520. S2CID 225112037.

[phys-3] Kelly April Tyrrell (7 October 2020). "First relatives of rubella virus discovered in bats in Uganda and mice in Germany". phys.org. Retrieved 26 March 2021.

[4] Bennett, Andrew (2020). "Relatives of rubella virus in diverse mammals". Nature. 586 (7829): 424–428. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..424B. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2812-9. PMC 7572621. PMID 33029010.

[nature-5] Bennett, Andrew J.; Paskey, Adrian C.; Ebinger, Arnt; Pfaff, Florian; Priemer, Grit; Höper, Dirk; Breithaupt, Angele; Heuser, Elisa; Ulrich, Rainer G.; Kuhn, Jens H.; Bishop-Lilly, Kimberly A. (7 October 2020). "Relatives of rubella virus in diverse mammals". Nature. 586 (7829): 424–428. Bibcode:2020Natur.586..424B. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2812-9. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 7572621. PMID 33029010.

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