Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2015 | Short report
A novel gemycircularvirus in an unexplained case of child encephalitis
Published in: Virology Journal | Issue 1/2015
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Background
Recently, a diverse group of viruses with circular, replication initiator protein(Rep) encoding, single stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) genomes, were discovered from wide range of eukaryotic organisms ranging from mammals to fungi. Gemycircularvirus belongs to a distinct group of CRESS-DNA genomes and is classified under the genus name of Gemycircularvirus.
Findings
Here, a novel gemycircularvirus named GeTz1 from cerebrospinal fluid sample of a child with unexplainable encephalitis was characterized. The novel gemycircularvirus encodes two major proteins, including a capsid protein (Cap) and a replication-associated protein (Rep). Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence of Rep indicated that GeTz1 clusters with one gemycircularvirus discovered from bird (KF371633), sharing 46.6 % amino acid sequence identity with each other.
Conclusion
A novel gemycircularvirus was discovered from cerebrospinal fluid sample of a child with unexplainable encephalitis. Further studies, such as testing human sera for specific antibodies, should be performed to investigate whether gemycircularvirus infects human and is associated with encephalitis.