INVESTIGATION OF LJUNGAN VIRUS (PARECHOVIRUS B) IN RODENTS BY MOLECULAR METHODS

Year 2023, Volume: 37 Issue: 3, 68 - 73, 31.12.2023

Mahmut Cem Ergon Mert Erdin Ferhat Matur Mustafa Sözen Ceylan Polat Tugce Gunkan Mehmet Ali Öktem

https://doi.org/10.54962/ankemderg.1405317

Abstract

Ljungan virus (LV) is a rodent-borne virus in the genus Parechovirus of the Picornaviridae family. LV has been detected in rodents in Northern Europe, North America and Italy, suggesting a wide distribution of this virus in the world. LV antibodies have been demonstrated in humans with myocarditis and type 1 diabetes, and LV has been correlated with intrauterine death, sudden infant death and fetal central nervous system malformations in humans.
This study aimed to obtain information about the presence of LV, which has not been investigated in Turkey, in wild rodents in Zonguldak province and to determine the new LV strain(s) specific to the region, if any.
A total of 120 brain tissues from 85 Apodemus and 35 Myodes were used in the study. In these samples, the presence of LV nucleic acid was investigated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting the VP1 region in the LV genome where genetic diversity is high. As a result of the study, the presence of LV nucleic acid was not detected in the samples.
It will not be a sufficient explanation for the absence of LV presence in Turkey according to the analysis of samples from a single region and two rodent species. Unsuitable environmental conditions for the virus may also have played a role in the lack of virus detection. We concluded that further research on rodents in different regions, with a larger sample size and on more rodent species, is needed to reveal the occurrence of LV in Turkey. This is the first study on Ljungan virus presence in Turkey.

Keywords

Apodemus, Ljungan virus, Myodes, Turkey

Ethical Statement

The study plan was approved by the Local Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments (decision number 2011/07) of Dokuz Eylül University.

Supporting Institution

Dokuz Eylül University Department of Scientific Research Projects

Project Number

2018.KB.SAG.067

LJUNGAN VİRUSUN (PARECHOVİRUS B) KEMİRİCİLERDE MOLEKÜLER YÖNTEMLE ARAŞTIRILMASI

Abstract

Ljungan virus (LV), Picornaviridae ailesinde bulunan Parechovirus genusunda yer alan kemirici kökenli bir virustur. LV'nin, Kuzey Avrupa, Kuzey Amerika ve İtalya'da kemiricilerde saptanmış olması dünyada bu virusun geniş bir dağılımı olduğunu düşündürmektedir. Miyokarditli ve tip 1 diyabetli insanlarda LV antikorları gösterilmiş ve insanlarda intrauterin ölüm, ani bebek ölümü ve fetal santral sinir sistemi malformasyonlarında LV ilişkisi saptanmıştır.
Bu çalışma ile Türkiye'de henüz araştırılmamış olan LV'nin Zonguldak ilindeki yabani kemiricilerdeki varlığı hakkında bilgi sahibi olunması ve varsa bölgeye özgü yeni LV suşunun/suşlarının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.
Araştırmada 85 adet Apodemus ve 35 adet Myodes örneklerinden oluşan toplam 120 adet kemiriciye ait beyin dokusu kullanılmıştır. Bu örneklerde, LV genomunda genetik çeşitliliğin yüksek olduğu VP1 bölgesini hedefleyen ters transkriptaz polimeraz zincir tepkimesi (PZT) yöntemi ile LV nükleik asit varlığı araştırılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda örneklerde LV nükleik asit varlığı saptanmamıştır.
Tek bir bölge ve iki kemirici cinsine ait örneklerinin analizleri sonucuna göre, Türkiye çapında LV varlığının bulunmadığını söylemek yeterli bir açıklama olmayacaktır. Virüs için uygun olmayan çevresel koşullar da virusun tespit edilememesinde rol oynamış olabilir. Türkiye’de LV durumunun ortaya koyulabilmesi için farklı bölgelerindeki kemiricilerde, daha büyük bir örneklem ile ve daha fazla sayıda kemirici türü ile daha fazla sayıda araştırma yapılması gerektiği sonucuna varılmıştır. Bu araştırma, Türkiye de Ljungan virüs varlığı ile ilgili yapılmış ilk çalışmadır.

Keywords

Apodemus, Ljungan virus, Myodes, Türkiye

Ethical Statement

Çalışma planı, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Hayvan Deneyleri Yerel Etik Kurulu (2011/07 numaralı karar) tarafından onaylanmıştır.

Supporting Institution

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Koordinasyon Birimi

Project Number

2018.KB.SAG.067

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