{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T04:16:57Z","timestamp":1789791417523,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]],"date-time":"2024-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733356800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]],"date-time":"2024-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733356800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title\/>\n            <jats:p>\n              Wesselsbron virus (WSLV) is a neglected mosquito-borne virus within the yellow fever subgroup in the genus\n              <jats:italic>Orthoflavivirus<\/jats:italic>\n              of the\n              <jats:italic>Flaviviridae<\/jats:italic>\n              family. Despite being primarily a veterinary pathogen able to cause stillbirths, congenital malformations, and mortality in ruminants, WSLV also infects humans, causing a usually self-limiting febrile illness, or may lead to neurological complications in rare cases. WSLV causes sporadic outbreaks in Southern Africa, but findings in mosquitoes from other African countries suggest a wider distribution. Here, we report the detection and isolation of WSLV from an\n              <jats:italic>Aedes mcintoshi<\/jats:italic>\n              mosquito collected in a pristine ecosystem within Semuliki National Park, western Uganda. The detected strain M5937-UG-2018 was impaired in infectivity, replication, and production of infectious particles in cell lines derived from different hosts compared to an epidemic reference strain, SA H177. Full-genome sequencing by next-generation sequencing from the mosquito homogenate revealed a maximum nucleotide identity of 98.1% to a WSLV isolate from a human sample collected in South Africa in 1996. M5937-UG-2018 grouped in phylogenetic analyses with strains from South Africa and Senegal. Reconstruction of the temporal and spatial dispersal of WSLV across Africa estimated a likely origin of WSLV in South Africa in the early 19th century and spread in Southern Africa in the following decades. Long-distance movement toward Western and Eastern Africa was modeled to have occurred in the early 21st century. However, displacing the origin of M5937-UG-2018 did not decrease the likelihood of the model supporting the hypothesis that WSLV is widely distributed in Africa.\n            <\/jats:p>\n            <jats:sec>\n              <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n              <jats:p>\n                WSLV is a neglected mosquito-borne virus causing teratogenicity in ruminants and febrile illness in humans. WSLV is mainly endemic to Southern Africa, but findings in other regions suggest a wider distribution on the continent. Knowledge of the distribution of WSLV is impaired as differential diagnostics are rarely performed in livestock and humans presenting with symptoms compatible with WSLV infection. Our work investigating viral infections in mosquitoes from a remote tropical rainforest region demonstrates that WSLV is endemic in Uganda. The isolated virus was less infective and showed lower replication ability\n                <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                compared to an epidemic isolate from South Africa. Phylogeographic reconstruction of spatial and temporal movements, along with the displacement of the origin of the newly detected strain\n                <jats:bold>,<\/jats:bold>\n                suggests that WSLV may be widely distributed across Africa. Our data show that the geographic distribution of WSLV and its impact on human and animal health are likely underestimated.\n              <\/jats:p>\n            <\/jats:sec>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,12]],"date-time":"2024-11-12T14:01:03Z","timestamp":1731420063000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Genotypic and phylogeographic insights into a pre-epidemic variant of Wesselsbron virus detected in sylvatic\n            <i>Aedes mcintoshi<\/i>\n            from Semuliki Forest, Uganda"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2018-3778","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georg Joachim","family":"Eibner","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Selina Laura","family":"Graff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Hieke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James Robert","family":"Ochieng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University","place":["Kampala, Uganda"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"Kopp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Drosten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julius","family":"Lutwama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Arbovirology, Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI)","place":["Entebbe, Uganda"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Innocent Bidason","family":"Rwego","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health, Makerere University","place":["Kampala, Uganda"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3799-6011","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sandra","family":"Junglen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Virology, Charit\u00e9\u2013Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aaf8160"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1008042"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1201\/9780429289200-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","unstructured":"Weiss K Haig D Alexander R. 1956. Wesselsbron virus-a virus not previously described associated with abortion in domestic animals"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","first-page":"40","article-title":"Studies on an outbreak of Wesselsbron virus in the Free State Province, South Africa","volume":"14","author":"Jupp PG","year":"1998","unstructured":"Jupp PG, Kemp A. 1998. Studies on an outbreak of Wesselsbron virus in the Free State Province, South Africa. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 14:40\u201345.","journal-title":"J Am Mosq Control Assoc"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/s0022172400027066"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","first-page":"151","article-title":"Wesselsbron virus antibody in domestic animals in Nigeria: retrospective and prospective studies","volume":"18","author":"Baba SS","year":"1995","unstructured":"Baba SS, Fagbami AH, Ojeh CK, Olaleye OD, Omilabu SA. 1995. Wesselsbron virus antibody in domestic animals in Nigeria: retrospective and prospective studies. New Microbiol 18:151\u2013162.","journal-title":"New Microbiol"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/vbz.2012.1181"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.onehlt.2017.02.001"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/104063879801000216"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens9050373"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_13_2","first-page":"165","article-title":"Wesselsbron disease: a cause of congenital porencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia in calves","volume":"46","author":"Coetzer JA","year":"1979","unstructured":"Coetzer JA, Theodoridis A, Herr S, Kritzinger L. 1979. Wesselsbron disease: a cause of congenital porencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia in calves. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 46:165\u2013169.","journal-title":"Onderstepoort J Vet Res"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_14_2","first-page":"85","volume-title":"Southern African society for veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine","author":"Human S","unstructured":"Human S, Cv E, Sv N, Williams J, Steyl J, Gerdes T, Swanepoel R. The role of zoonotic vector borne viruses as neurological pathogens in horses and wildlife in South Africa, p 85\u201389. In Southern African society for veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_15_2","first-page":"93","article-title":"Wesselsbron disease. Pathological, haematological and clinical studies in natural cases and experimentally infected new-born lambs","volume":"45","author":"Coetzer JA","year":"1978","unstructured":"Coetzer JA, Theodoridis A, Van Heerden A. 1978. Wesselsbron disease. Pathological, haematological and clinical studies in natural cases and experimentally infected new-born lambs. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 45:93\u2013106.","journal-title":"Onderstepoort J Vet Res"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_16_2","first-page":"543","article-title":"Wesselsbron virus infections in man","volume":"32","author":"Heymann CS","year":"1958","unstructured":"Heymann CS, Kokernot RH, de Meillon B. 1958. Wesselsbron virus infections in man. S Afr Med J 32:543\u2013545.","journal-title":"S Afr Med J"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_17_2","unstructured":"McIntosh BM. 1980. The epidemiology of arthropod-borne viruses in southern Africa University of Pretoria"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0035-9203(65)90159-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0035-9203(65)90158-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0022172400025997"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_21_2","first-page":"797","article-title":"Serological survey for arboviruses in Uganda, 1967-69","volume":"42","author":"Henderson BE","year":"1970","unstructured":"Henderson BE, Kirya GB, Hewitt LE. 1970. Serological survey for arboviruses in Uganda, 1967-69. Bull World Health Organ 42:797\u2013805.","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1040841X.2016.1230974"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms10030550"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.0269-283X.2005.00564.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1755-0998.12584"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.22-0481"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.136.4.99"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/jgv.0.000672"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.mi.44.100190.003245"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/msaa015"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgen.1002764"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/msv022"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens9050373"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_34_2","first-page":"539","article-title":"A multipurpose serological survey in Kenya: 2. Results of arbovirus serological tests","volume":"43","author":"Geser A","year":"1970","unstructured":"Geser A, Henderson BE, Christensen S. 1970. A multipurpose serological survey in Kenya: 2. Results of arbovirus serological tests. Bull World Health Organ 43:539\u2013552.","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_35_2","first-page":"101","article-title":"Survey for antibodies to arboviruses in the sera of children in Portuguese guinea","volume":"37","author":"Pinto MR","year":"1967","unstructured":"Pinto MR. 1967. Survey for antibodies to arboviruses in the sera of children in Portuguese guinea. Bull World Health Organ 37:101\u2013108.","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/antib12010018"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_37_2","unstructured":"Smith-burn K Meillon B. 1958. Studies on arthropod-borne viruses of Tongaland"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_38_2","first-page":"555","article-title":"Neutralizing antibodies for certain viruses in the sera of human beings in Northern Natal","volume":"33","author":"Smithburn KC","year":"1959","unstructured":"Smithburn KC, Kokernot RH, Heymann CS, Weinbren MP, ZentkowskyD. 1959. Neutralizing antibodies for certain viruses in the sera of human beings in Northern Natal. S Afr Med J 33:555\u2013561.","journal-title":"S Afr Med J"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00034983.1961.11686021"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_40_2","first-page":"71","article-title":"Arthropod borne viruses of medical importance in Rhodesia 1968-1973","volume":"20","author":"Swanepoel R","year":"1974","unstructured":"Swanepoel R, Cruickshank JG. 1974. Arthropod borne viruses of medical importance in Rhodesia 1968-1973. Cent Afr J Med 20:71\u201379.","journal-title":"Cent Afr J Med"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1000520"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_42_2","unstructured":"Edwards FW. 1941. Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian region. III.-Culicine adults and pupae. Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian Region III-Culicine Adults and Pupae"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_43_2","volume-title":"Mosquitoes of Southern Africa: culicinae and toxorhynchitinae","author":"Jupp PG","year":"1996","unstructured":"Jupp PG. 1996. Mosquitoes of Southern Africa: culicinae and toxorhynchitinae. Ekogilde Publishers."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_44_2","first-page":"294","article-title":"DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates","volume":"3","author":"Folmer O","year":"1994","unstructured":"Folmer O, Black M, Hoeh W, Lutz R, Vrijenhoek R. 1994. DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol 3:294\u2013299.","journal-title":"Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_45_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkac1032"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkac240"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/msab120"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/sysbio\/sys029"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_49_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/mst010"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1006650"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_51_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040023"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_52_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0304-4149(82)90011-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/sysbio\/syy032"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/msw082"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/0022-1317-40-3-531"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_56_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JVI.00014-09"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_57_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oxfordjournals.aje.a118408"}],"container-title":["Microbiology Spectrum"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]],"date-time":"2024-12-05T14:03:19Z","timestamp":1733407399000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Luciana Jesus","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]]},"references-count":56,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/spectrum.00914-24","relation":{},"ISSN":["2165-0497"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2165-0497","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2024-04-25","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2024-09-18","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2024-11-12","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e00914-24"}}