| dc.description.abstract | Comprehensive PCR screenings were made to estimate the diversity of adenoviruses (AdVs) in rodents and bats. Besides the domestic samples, we tested dead bats and squirrels originating from Germany. We detected and partially characterized previously unknown AdVs in the individuals of two local rodent species, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) and the common vole (Microtus arvalis). A third novel AdV was detected in the sample of a zoo animal, namely a capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). In the Hungarian population of the striped field mouse, we demonstrated the presence of murine adenovirus 3 (MAdV-3), which has been described in Slovakia recently. The presence of the squirrel AdV-1 (SqAdV-1), a virus that had been detected only in Great Britain previously, was proven by us in Germany during the examination of dead captive squirrels. The sequence of a 20,602-bp-long genome fragment of the SqAdV-1, encompassing 17 genes, was determined. By screening a collection of more than 150 samples, representing every bat species that is known to occur in Hungary, we revealed the presence of 13 novel AdVs. We also tested a sample collection from Germany with about 200 samples representing 17 bat species. Eighteen novel AdVs were detected in these samples. Additionally, we demonstrated the presence of 3 AdVs, which have already been reported in other countries previously.
I participated in the determination and analysis of the full genomic sequence of two AdVs. In a Swiss collaboration, we studied the MAdV-2, isolated from house mouse. The length of its genome (35,203 bp) was found to be surprisingly long, especially compared to the other two MAdVs. The substantial size difference could primarily be attributed to the longer length rather than the greater number of the genes. The phylogeny reconstructions also confirmed that the MAdV-2 is more different from the other two MAdVs than those from each other. Thus the introduction of a new viral species (Murine mastadenovirus B) was justified. The other AdV was the bat adenovirus 2 (BtAdV-2) isolated from a common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) in Germany. In collaboration with the German colleagues, we sequenced and annotated the entire genome of BtAdV-2. The phylogenetic analyses also supported our conclusion that this virus represents a new species (Bat mastadenovirus B). Our taxonomic proposals were approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy for Viruses (ICTV).
I proved that in the MAdV-3, circulating among the Hungarian striped field mice, a full variant of the E1B 19K gene is present. This gene has a length (174 amino acid) almost identical to that of its counterparts in other AdVs, while the Slovakian prototype MAdV-3 strain, deposited to the GenBank contains a truncated version of the E1B 19K. Due to a mutation, a stop codon is present after the 23rd aa. However, the rest of the aa sequence is also homologous with the corresponding part of the 19K proteins of other AdVs. | en_US |
