AUTHOR=Yin Qikai , Cheng Rui , Xu Xiuyan , Xu Ziqian , Wang Jing , Fu Shihong , Xu Hongbin , Zhang Shaozai , He Ying , Li Fan , Xu Songtao , Lu Xiaoqing , Wang Huanyu , Wang Bin , Liang Guodong TITLE=Isolation and identification of Tete virus group (Peribunyaviridae: Orthobunyavirus) from Culicoides biting midges collected in Lichuan County, China JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1193184 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2023.1193184 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=

In July 2018, a virus (JXLC1806-2) was isolated from Culicoides biting midges collected in Lichuan County, Jiangxi Province, China. The virus isolate showed significant cytopathic effects within 48 hours after inoculation with mammalian cells (BHK-21). JXLC1806-2 virus could form plaques in BHK-21 cells, and the virus titer was 1×105.6 pfu/mL. After inoculation with the virus, suckling mice developed disease and died. The nucleotide and amino sequence analysis showed that the JXLC1806-2 virus genome was composed of S, M and L segments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the S, M and L genes of JXLC1806-2 virus belonged to the Tete serogroup, Orthobunyavirus, but formed an independent evolutionary branch from the other members of the Tete serogroup. The results showed that the JXLC1806-2 virus, which was named as Lichuan virus, is a new member of Tete serogroup, and this is the first time that a Tete serogroup virus has been isolated in China.