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Characterization of Two Historic Smallpox Specimens from a Czech Museum

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    SYSNO ASEP0478813
    Document TypeJ - Journal Article
    R&D Document TypeJournal Article
    Subsidiary JČlánek ve WOS
    TitleCharacterization of Two Historic Smallpox Specimens from a Czech Museum
    Author(s) Pajer, P. (CZ)
    Dresler, J. (CZ)
    Kabickova, H. (CZ)
    Píša, L. (CZ)
    Aganov, P. (CZ)
    Fucik, K. (CZ)
    Elleder, Daniel (UMG-J) RID
    Hron, Tomáš (UMG-J)
    Kuželka, V. (CZ)
    Velemínský, P. (CZ)
    Klimentová, J. (CZ)
    Fučíková, A. (CZ)
    Pejchal, J. (CZ)
    Hrabáková, Rita (UZFG-Y) RID, ORCID
    Beneš, V. (DE)
    Rausch, T. (CZ)
    Dundr, P. (CZ)
    Pilin, A. (CZ)
    Čabala, R. (CZ)
    Hubálek, Martin (UOCHB-X) RID, ORCID
    Stříbrný, J. (CZ)
    Antwerpen, M.H. (DE)
    Meyer, H. (DE)
    Number of authors23
    Article number200
    Source TitleViruses. - : MDPI
    Roč. 9, č. 8 (2017)
    Number of pages14 s.
    Languageeng - English
    CountryCH - Switzerland
    Keywordssmallpox ; variola virus ; evolution ; next generation suquencing ; historic specimen ; phylogeny
    Subject RIVEB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
    OECD categoryVirology
    Institutional supportUMG-J - RVO:68378050 ; UZFG-Y - RVO:67985904 ; UOCHB-X - RVO:61388963
    UT WOS000408742900007
    DOI10.3390/v9080200
    AnnotationAlthough smallpox has been known for centuries, the oldest available variola virus strains were isolated in the early 1940s. At that time, large regions of the world were already smallpox-free. Therefore, genetic information of these strains can represent only the very last fraction of a long evolutionary process. Based on the genomes of 48 strains, two clades are differentiated: Clade 1 includes variants of variola major, and clade 2 includesWest African and variola minor (Alastrim) strains. Recently, the genome of an almost 400-year-old Lithuanian mummy was determined, which fell basal to all currently sequenced strains of variola virus on phylogenetic trees. Here, we determined two complete variola virus genomes from human tissues kept in a museum in Prague dating back 60 and 160 years, respectively. Moreover, mass spectrometry-based proteomic, chemical, and microscopic examinations were performed. The 60-year-old specimen was most likely an importation from India, a country with endemic smallpox at that time. The genome of the 160-year-old specimen is related to clade 2 West African and variola minor strains. This sequence likely represents a new endemic European variant of variola virus circulating in the midst of the 19th century in Europe.
    WorkplaceInstitute of Molecular Genetics
    ContactNikol Škňouřilová, nikol.sknourilova@img.cas.cz, Tel.: 241 063 217
    Year of Publishing2018
Number of the records: 1  

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