Isolation and Characterization of Akhmeta Virus from Wild-Caught Rodents (Apodemus spp.) in Georgia.

ABSTRACT: In 2013, a novel orthopoxvirus was detected in skin lesions of two cattle herders from the Kakheti region of Georgia (country); this virus was named Akhmeta virus. Subsequent investigation of these cases revealed that small mammals in the area had serological evidence of orthopoxvirus infections, suggesting their involvement in the maintenance of these viruses in nature. In October 2015, we began a longitudinal study assessing the natural history of orthopoxviruses in Georgia. As part of this effort, we trapped small mammals near Akhmeta (n = 176) and Gudauri (n = 110). Here, we describe the isolation and molecular characterization of Akhmeta virus from lesion material and pooled heart and lung samples collected from five wood mice (Apodemus uralensis and Apo

SUBMITTER: Doty JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6880181 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature