Baoliang Xu

Complete Genome Sequence of Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica Strain SH04, Isolated from Chrysomya megacephala Collected from Pudong International Airport in China

ABSTRACT Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica bacilli that live in the larvae of a parasitic fly were recently isolated and are speculated to be the cause of fulminant sepsis. Here we report and analyze the complete genome sequence of Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica strain SH04. No complete genome sequence of a Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica isolate has been documented previously.

Complete Genome Sequence of Seoul Virus Isolated from Rattus norvegicus in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

ABSTRACT Seoul virus (SEOV) is responsible for 25% of cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Asia. Here we report the complete genome of strain DPRK08. The sequence information provided here is useful for understanding the molecular character of SEOV in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the circulation of SEOV in East Asia.

Investigations on Rickettsia in Ticks at the Sino-Russian and Sino-Mongolian Borders, China

To describe the prevalence of Rickettsia in ticks at the Sino-Russian and Sino-Mongolian borders, a total of 292 ticks were collected and tested by conventional PCR assays. The prevalence of Rickettsia was 53.4%, and phylogenetic analysis showed that they belonged to R. raoultii species after alignment for the ompA, ompB, and gltA genes, respectively. Coxiella burnetii DNA was detected for 14%, and no Ehrlichia, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Babesia species were found. Co-infection of two pathogens was 9.9%, and no co-infection with three or more pathogens was found. This study suggested Rickettsia was the most common pathogen in the ticks and co-infection was found. The findings might be helpful to provide advice on the prevention and control of tick-borne disease potential for tourists and residents.

Seoul Virus in Rats (Rattus norvegicus), Hyesan, North Korea, 2009–2011

To the Editor: Seoul virus (SEOV), a member of the family Bunyaviridae, genus Hantavirus, is primarily carried by Rattus norvegicus rats. Because members of Rattus species are widely distributed, SEOV has the potential to cause human disease worldwide. It has been reported that SEOV causes a milder form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome than Hantaan virus and Dobrava-Belgrade virus and is responsible for 25% of cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Asia (1). Although it is well known that SEOV is endemic to China (2) and South Korea (3), little is known about its distribution in North Korea (4). n nIn September 2009, June and September 2010, and September 2011, a total of 89 R. norvegicus rats were trapped in the city of Hyesan (128°30′E, 41°30′N) during the operation of a cooperative rodent surveillance program of China and North Korea. The captured rodents were euthanized with barbiturate (100 mg/kg), weighed, measured, classified by sex, and then autopsied. Lung samples were probed for the large segment of SEOV by reverse transcription PCR by using the RT primer P14 (5), the primary PCR primers HAN-L-F1 and HAN-L-R1, and the nested PCR primers HAN-L- F2 and HAN-L-R2 (6). PCR products were sequenced by using an ABI 3730 sequencer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). n nA high rate of SEOV infection was detected in R. norvegicus rats; 15 (16.8%) of 89 rodent samples tested positive for SEOV by reverse transcription PCR. Infection rates at each surveillance time were 26.7% (4/15) in September 2009, 7.5% (3/40) in June 2010, 28.6% (6/21) in September 2010, and 15.4% (2/13) in September 2011. All infected R. norvegicus rats were adults; 9 were male and 6 were female. The rate of nucleotide substitution in these 15 SEOV amplicons (330 bp; GenBank accession nos. {type:entrez-nucleotide-range,attrs:{text:KC576788-KC576802,start_term:KC576788,end_term:KC576802,start_term_id:478683850,end_term_id:478683878}}KC576788-KC576802, {type:entrez-nucleotide,attrs:{text:JX853574,term_id:426273237,term_text:JX853574}}JX853574) was calculated by Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis using BEAST 1.74 (7). The mean substitution rate, calculated by using the uncorrelated lognormal distribution relaxed molecular clock model and a Bayesian skyline model for the large segment of SEOV, was 8.27 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year, with a 95% high posterior density interval that ranged from 1.02 × 10−4 to 1.79 × 10−2. This substitution rate is about 3 times greater than that for middle and small segments (2). n nPhylogenetic relationships were assessed by using the uncorrelated lognormal distribution relaxed molecular clock model with the SRD06 substitution model (8) in BEAST 1.74. The Hantaan virus strain AA57 (GenBank accession no. {type:entrez-nucleotide,attrs:{text:AB620033,term_id:326784691,term_text:AB620033}}AB620033) sequence was used as the outgroup. The resulting phylogenetic tree (Figure) showed that SEOV strains in the city of Hyesan shared >97.3% identity and were all clustered in their own lineages, subdivided into 2 co-existing sublineages. Although the geographic distance from Hyesan to northeastern China (e.g., Liaoning Province) is much less than that between northeastern and southeastern China (e.g., Zhejiang Province) or central China (e.g., Hubei Province), the phylogenetic distance between SEOV strains in North Korea and those in each location in China in clade A, calculated by using MEGA5.1 (9), was 0.03, but was only 0.01–0.02 between locations in China. n n n nFigure n nPhylogenetic tree, based on a 330-bp amplicon of the Seoul virus (SEOV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene, depicted in FigTree1.4.0 (http://www.molecularevolution.org/software/phylogenetics/figtree). The tree was generated by using the uncorrelated lognormal ... n n n nOne possible explanation for this discrepancy in phylogenetic and geographic distances between SEOV strains in China and those in North Korea may be differences in the extent of human contact. Although human interactions among different regions of China are extensive, by comparison, those between China and North Korea are considerably reduced for political reasons. In addition, combining with small segment (GenBank accession no. {type:entrez-nucleotide,attrs:{text:HQ992815,term_id:341842442,term_text:HQ992815}}HQ992815) sequence analysis (data not shown), the fact that SEOV strain L0199 from Laos were not clustered in clade A-D(2) showed that Laos was another possible area of origin for SEOV. n nOur work contributes to the known epidemiology of exposure to the SEOV pathogen in Hyesan. Hyesan adjoins Changbai County in Jilin Province of China. However, SEOV was not detected in Changbai County during the surveillance program (data not shown), which was consistent with previous research (10). This study further highlights the need for long-term surveillance.

Complete Genome Sequence of an Amur Virus Isolated from Apodemus peninsulae in Northeastern China

ABSTRACT Amur virus was recently identified as the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Here we report the complete genome sequence of an Amur virus isolated from Apodemus peninsulae in Northeastern China. The sequence information provided here is critical for the molecular epidemiology and evolution of Amur virus in China.

Complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic analysis of Ixodes persulcatus (taiga tick)

Abstract Ixodes persulcatus is a species of hard tick which is a predominant tick species that spreads a wide array of serious human and animal pathogens. Here, we first assemble the complete mitogenome of I. persulcatus of China. The total length of the mitogenome was 14,539 bp included 36 genes and with a mitogenome structure similar to other ticks. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the complete mitogenome of I. persulcatus and closely related 19 species ticks to assess their phylogenic relationship and evolution. We also analyze the differences between the mitogenomes of I. persulcatus of Japan and China. The complete mitogenome data would be useful for further study of I. persulcatus.