Selective constraint and adaptive potential of West Nile virus within and among naturally infected avian hosts and mosquito vectors.

ABSTRACT: Arthropod-borne viruses are among the most genetically constrained RNA viruses, yet they have a remarkable propensity to adapt and emerge. We studied wild birds and mosquitoes naturally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) in a 'hot spot' of virus transmission in Chicago, IL, USA. We generated full coding WNV genome sequences from spatiotemporally matched bird and mosquito samples using high-throughput sequencing, allowing a molecular evolutionary assessment with deep coverage. Mean F_ST among samples was 0.66 (±0.02 SE) and was bimodal, with mean nucleotide diversity being higher between samples (interhost π_N = 0.001; π_S = 0.024) than within them (intrahost π_N < 0.0001; π_S < 0.001). Eight genomic sites

SUBMITTER: Nelson CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6007309 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature