TulaVirus: a NewlyDetected Hantavirus Carried by European CommonVoles

A novelhantavirus hasbeendiscovered inEuropean common voles, Microtus arvalis and Microtus rossiaemeridionalis. According tosequencing dataforthegenomicRNA S segmentandnucleocapsid protein anddataolitained byimmunoblotting with a panelofmonoclonal antibodies, thevirus, designated Tulavirus, isadistinct novel memberofthegenus Hantavirus. Phylogenetic analysesofTulavirusindicate thatitismost closely related toProspect Hill, Puumala, andMuertoCanyonviruses. Theresults supporttheviewthatthe evolution ofhan.aviruses follows thatoftheir primary carriers. Comparison ofstrains circulating within a local rodent population revealed a genetic drift viaaccumulation ofbasesubstitutions anddeletions or insertions. TheTulavirus population fromindividual animals isrepresented byquasispecies, indicating the potential forrapid evolution oftheagent. Hantaviruses (genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae) are agents carried bydifferent rodent orinsectivore hosts worldwideandexhibit a spectrumofpathogenicity forhumans, ranging frominapparent andmildtohighly lethal infections, whichinclude hemorrhagic fever withrenal syndrome (HFRS) andhantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Negative-stranded large