''Sindbis virus'' (SINV) is a member of the ''
Togaviridae'' family, in the ''
Alphavirus'' genus. The virus was first isolated in 1952 in
Cairo,
Egypt. The virus is transmitted by
mosquitoes (''
Culex'' and
Culiseta
''Culiseta'' is a genus (biology), genus of mosquitoes. Most ''Culiseta'' species are cold-adapted, and only occur in warmer climates during the colder parts of the year or at higher elevations where temperatures are lower. Species found in South ...
). SINV is linked to
Pogosta disease
[Kurkela S, Manni T, Vaheri A, Vapalahti O]
Causative agent of Pogosta disease isolated from blood and skin lesions
Emerg Infect Dis erial on the Internet Published 2004 May. (accessed 2007-10-16) (
Finland),
Ockelbo disease (
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
) and
Karelian fever (
Russia). In humans, the symptoms include
arthralgia,
rash and
malaise
As a medical term, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease. The word has existed in French since at least the 12th century.
The term is often used ...
. Sindbis virus is widely and continuously found in insects and vertebrates in Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Clinical infection and disease in humans however has almost only been reported from Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden, Russian Karelia), where SINV is endemic and where large outbreaks occur intermittently. Cases are occasionally reported in Australia, China, and South Africa.
SINV is an
arbovirus, it is
arthropod-
borne, and it is maintained in nature by transmission between
vertebrate (bird) hosts and
invertebrate (mosquito) vectors. Humans are infected with Sindbis virus when bitten by an infected mosquito.
Virus physiology
Structure, genome & replication
Sindbis viruses are enveloped particles with an icosahedral
capsid, with a positive single stranded
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
genome, with an approximate size of 11.7 kb. The RNA has a
5'-cap and 3'-polyadenylated tail, and therefore serves directly as messenger RNA (
mRNA) in a host cell. The genome encodes four non-structural proteins, the capsid, and two envelope proteins. This is characteristic of all
Togaviruses
''Alphavirus'' is a genus of RNA viruses, the sole genus in the ''Togaviridae'' family. Alphaviruses belong to group IV of the Baltimore classification of viruses, with a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. There are 32 alphaviruses, w ...
.
Replication
Replication may refer to:
Science
* Replication (scientific method), one of the main principles of the scientific method, a.k.a. reproducibility
** Replication (statistics), the repetition of a test or complete experiment
** Replication crisi ...
is
cytoplasmic
In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. Th ...
and rapid. The genomic RNA is partially
translated at the 5’ end to produce the non-structural proteins which are then involved in genome replication and the production of new genomic RNA and a shorter sub-genomic RNA strand. This sub-genomic strand is
translated into the structural proteins. The viruses assemble at the host cell surfaces and acquire their
envelope through
budding.
A
non-coding RNA element has been found to be essential for Sindbis virus genome replication.
has been demonstrated between
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
s of Sindbis virus.
The mechanism of recombination appears to be template switching (copy choice) during RNA replication.
[
]
See also
* Alphavirus infection
Alphavirus infection may be caused by a Sindbis virus infection, and result in a cutaneous eruption of multiple, erythematous, 4- to 4-mm papules.
See also
* Alphavirus
* Skin lesion
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is an ...
References
MicrobiologyBytes: Togaviruses
€”ICTVdB—The Universal Virus Database, version 4.
External links
Virus Pathogen Database and Analysis Resource (ViPR): Togaviridae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2302993
Alphaviruses