CHARACTERIZATION OF SEPIK AND ENTEBBE BAT VIRUSES CLOSELY RELATED TO YELLOW FEVER VIRUS

Yellow fever virus has a special place in medical history as the first animal virus isolated and as the prototype virus in the genus Flavivirus, which contains many serious human pathogens. Only recently, its closely related viruses within the group were identified phylogenetically. In this study, we obtained complete or near complete genome sequences of two viruses most closely related to yellow fever virus: Sepik virus of Papua New Guinea and Entebbe bat virus of Africa. Based on full-genomic characterization and genomic traits among related viruses, we identified Sepik virus to be most closely related to yellow fever virus and analyzed the pattern of repeat and conserved sequence motifs in the 3′-noncoding region among the members of yellow fever virus cluster. We also discuss the geographic dispersal as a part of ecological traits of this lineage of flaviviruses.