Feline lentivirus evolution in cross-species infection reveals extensive G-to-A mutation and selection on key residues in the viral polymerase.

ABSTRACT: Factors that restrict a virus from establishing productive infection in a new host species are important to understand because cross-species transmission events are often associated with emergent viral diseases. To determine the evolutionary pressures on viruses in new host species, we evaluated the molecular evolution of a feline immunodeficiency virus derived from a wild cougar, Puma concolor, during infection of domestic cats. Analyses were based on the coding portion of genome sequences recovered at intervals over 37 weeks of infection of six cats inoculated by either intravenous or oral-nasal routes. All cats inoculated intravenously, but only one inoculated orally-nasally, became persistently viremic. There were notable accumulations of lethal errors and predominance of G-to-A altera

SUBMITTER: Poss M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1395431 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature