Elsevier

Virology

Volume 342, Issue 2, 25 November 2005, Pages 252-265
Virology

Phylogenetic analysis of North American West Nile virus isolates, 2001–2004: Evidence for the emergence of a dominant genotype

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2005.07.022Get rights and content
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Abstract

The distribution of West Nile virus has expanded in the past 6 years to include the 48 contiguous United States and seven Canadian provinces, as well as Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and Colombia. The suggestion of the emergence of a dominant genetic variant has led to an intensive analysis of isolates made across North America. We have sequenced the premembrane and envelope genes of 74 isolates and the complete genomes of 25 isolates in order to determine if a dominant genotype has arisen and to better understand how the virus has evolved as its distribution has expanded. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the continued presence of genetic variants that group in a temporally and geographically dependent manner and provide evidence that a dominant variant has emerged across much of North America. The implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to transmission and spread of the virus in the Western Hemisphere.

Keywords

West Nile virus
Flavivirus
Molecular epidemiology
Viral evolution
Phylogenetics

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