Efficient isolation on Vero.DogSLAMtag cells and full genome characterization of Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) by next generation sequencing

The Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) genome from the frst Mediterranean epidemic (1990-\u201992) is the only cetacean Morbillivirus that has been completely sequenced. Here, we report the frst application of next generation sequencing (NGS) to morbillivirus infection of aquatic mammals. A viral isolate, representative of the 2006-\u201908 Mediterranean epidemic (DMV_IZSPLV_2008), efciently grew on Vero.DogSLAMtag cells and was submitted to whole genome characterization by NGS. The fnal genome length was 15,673 nucleotides, covering 99.82% of the DMV reference genome. Comparison of DMV_IZSPLV_2008 and 1990-\u201992 DMV strain sequences revealed 157 nucleotide mutations and 47 amino acid changes. The sequence similarity was 98.7% at the full genome level. Whole-genome phylogeny suggested that the DMV strain circulating during the 2006-\u201908 epidemics emerged from the 1990-\u201992 DMV strain. Viral isolation is considered the \u201cgold standard\u201d for morbillivirus diagnostics but efcient propagation of infectious virus is difcult to achieve. The successful cell replication of this strain allowed performing NGS directly from the viral RNA, without prior PCR amplifcation. We therefore provide to the scientifc community a second DMV genome, representative of another major outbreak. Interestingly, genome comparison revealed that the neglected L gene encompasses 74% of the genetic diversity and might serve as \u201chypervariable\u201d target for strain characterization

Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vehicle Deaths in the DMV in 2010

Firearm-related fatalities exceeded motor vehicle fatalities in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) in 2010, the most recent year for which data is available for both products. Firearm-related deaths include homicide, suicide, and unintentional fatal injuries. Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths not only in the region as a whole, but in each of the three jurisdictions that comprise the DMV. In 2010, gun deaths in the DMV totaled 1,512 while motor vehicles deaths totaled 1,280.The statistics in the DMV offer a stark illustration of a public health emergency that often receives scant attention from policymakers. Firearms remain the only consumer product not regulated by a federal health and safety agency, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has overseen automobile safety since 1966. Nationally, firearm fatalities almost equal motor vehicle deaths despite the fact that roughly three times as many Americans own automobiles as own firearms. The tolerance for such a high level of gun death is even harder to comprehend when the relative utility of the two products is taken into account. Unlike guns, motor vehicles are essential to the functioning of the U.S. economy

Genomic and structural investigation on dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus).

Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been deemed as one of the most relevant threats for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) being responsible for a mortality outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea in the last years. Knowledge of the complete viral genome is essential to understand any structural changes that could modify virus pathogenesis and viral tissue tropism. We report the complete DMV sequence of N, P/V/C, M, F and H genes identified from a fin whale and the comparison of primary to quaternary structure of proteins between this fin whale strain and some of those isolated during the 1990-'92 and the 2006-'08 epidemics. Some relevant substitutions were detected, particularly Asn52Ser located on F protein and Ile21Thr on N protein. Comparing mutations found in the fin whale DMV with those occurring in viral strains of other cetacean species, some of them were proven to be the result of diversifying selection, thus allowing to speculate on their role in host adaptation and on the way they could affect the interaction between the viral attachment and fusion with the target host cells

Dolphin morbillivirus in a cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), Italy

open12noDolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has caused several mortality events in Mediterranean striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) dolphins populations since 19; in the last 5 years, the virus was reported to infect new hosts in this basin, such as fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), and even a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). Very recently, a calf Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) calf stranded on the Southern Italian coastline with mild pathological findings suggestive of morbilliviral infection, received the first confirmation of DMV infection in this species by biomolecular evidences on lung tissue. This new cross-species infection report, along with 19% of the cetaceans specimens examined by the Italian Stranding Network being found positive to DMV, support the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of this virus among Mediterranean cetaceans. © 2017 Centelleghe, Beffagna, Palmisano, Franzo, Casalone, Pautasso, Giorda, Di Nocera, Iaccarino, Santoro, Di Guardo and Mazzariol.openCentelleghe, Cinzia; Beffagna, Giorgia; Palmisano, Giuseppe; Franzo, Giovanni; Casalone, Cristina; Pautasso, Alessandra; Giorda, Federica; Nocera, Fabio Di; Iaccarino, Doriana; Santoro, Mario; Di Guardo, Giovanni; Mazzariol, SandroCentelleghe, Cinzia; Beffagna, Giorgia; Palmisano, Giuseppe; Franzo, Giovanni; Casalone, Cristina; Pautasso, Alessandra; Giorda, Federica; Nocera, Fabio Di; Iaccarino, Doriana; Santoro, Mario; Di Guardo, Giovanni; Mazzariol, Sandr

Phylogenetic Distribution Of An Endogenous Strain Of Dahlia Mosaic Virus In Members Of Asteraceae

A newly discovered strain of Dahlia mosaic virus (DMV) called DMV-D10 was first observed in Dahlia variabilis in 2008. DMV-D10 does not induce visible symptoms of infection in the host plant, and is classified as an endogenous virus. Endogenous viruses like DMV-D10 have the ability to integrate their viral sequences into the host plant genome, which can be transmitted to offspring. No studies have examined the host range of DMV-D10 outside of the Dahlia genus. Because DMV-D10 has only been observed in Dahlia, the objective for this study was to determine if presence of DMVD10 follows an evolutionary relationship among species closely related to Dahlia. It was hypothesized species in the same tribe (Coreopsideae) as Dahlia were more likely to be infected with DMV-D10 compared to species in other Asteraceae tribes. Ten tribes consisting of thirty-five species were collected and DNA was extracted to determine DMV-D10 infection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results for a movement protein gene indicate DMV-D10 is widely spread across Asteraceae. Fragments of the DMV-D10 genome were present in thirteen species across seven tribes. Thirty-seven percent of species in this study contained DMV-D10 viral sequences. Additionally, six species across five tribes contained Dahlia common mosaic virus sequences, and three species across two tribes contained Dahlia mosaic virus sequences. Phylogenetic relationship of host plants does not necessarily determine DMV-D10 infection. This leads to questions of how this virus can move to species in other Asteraceae tribes. Some potential hypotheses include pollen transmission or possible plant-virus coevolution

An analysis of the logic of Riesz Spaces with strong unit

We study \L ukasiewicz logic enriched with a scalar multiplication with scalars taken in $[0,1]$. Its algebraic models, called {\em Riesz MV-algebras}, are, up to isomorphism, unit intervals of Riesz spaces with a strong unit endowed with an appropriate structure. When only rational scalars are considered, one gets the class of {\em DMV-algebras} and a corresponding logical system. Our research follows two objectives. The first one is to deepen the connections between functional analysis and the logic of Riesz MV-algebras. The second one is to study the finitely presented MV-algebras, DMV-algebras and Riesz MV-algebras, connecting them from logical, algebraic and geometric perspective

Dependency Grammar Induction with Neural Lexicalization and Big Training Data

We study the impact of big models (in terms of the degree of lexicalization) and big data (in terms of the training corpus size) on dependency grammar induction. We experimented with L-DMV, a lexicalized version of Dependency Model with Valence and L-NDMV, our lexicalized extension of the Neural Dependency Model with Valence. We find that L-DMV only benefits from very small degrees of lexicalization and moderate sizes of training corpora. L-NDMV can benefit from big training data and lexicalization of greater degrees, especially when enhanced with good model initialization, and it achieves a result that is competitive with the current state-of-the-art.Comment: EMNLP 201

Phylogenetic distribution of an endogenous strain of Dahlia mosaic virus in members of Asteraceae

Dahlia mosaic virus (DMV) is a double-stranded DNA viral pathogen. A newly discovered strain of this virus called DMV-D10 was first observed in Dahlia variabilis. DMV-D10 does not induce visible symptoms of infection in the host plant, and is classified as an endogenous pararetrovirus. These viruses have the ability to integrate their viral sequences into the host plant genome, which can be transmitted vertically to offspring. Currently, no studies have examined the host range of DMV-D10. Because DMV-D10 has only been observed in Dahlia, the objective for this study was to determine if presence of DMV-D10 follows an evolutionary relationship among species closely related to Dahlia. It was hypothesized species in the same tribe (Coreopsideae) as Dahlia, such as Cosmos, were more likely to be infected with DMV-D10 compared to species within other tribes in the Asteraceae family. PCR results for a movement protein gene indicate DMV-D10 is more widely spread across Asteraceae than in Dahlia species. DMV-D10 was present in Callistephus chinensis (Astereae tribe), Centaurea cyanus (Cardueae tribe), and Dahlia variabilis (Coreopsideae tribe), but not in Tagetes erecta (Tageteae tribe) or Cosmos bipinnatus (Coreopsideae tribe). Therefore, phylogenetic relationship in host plants does not necessarily determine presence or absence of DMV-D10. This leads to questions of how this virus can move to other species in other tribes. Future work will further explore host range, and if there are physiological symptoms associated with DMV-D10 infection

Nucleotide sequence and genome organization of Dweet mottle virus and its relationship to members of the family Betaflexiviridae

The nucleotide sequence of Dweet mottle virus (DMV) was determined and compared to sequences of members of the families Alphaflexiviridae and Betaflexiviridae. The DMV genome has 8,747 nucleotides (nt) excluding the 3′ poly-(A) tail. DMV genomic RNA contains three putative open reading frames (ORFs) and untranslated regions of 73 nt at the 5′ and 541 nt at 3′ termini. ORF1 potentially encoding a 227.48-kDa polyprotein, which has methyltransferase, oxygenase, endopeptidase, helicase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) domains. ORF2 encodes a movement protein of 40.25 kDa, while ORF3 encodes a coat protein of 40.69 kDa. Protein database searches showed 98–99% matches of DMV ORFs with citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV) sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on the RdRP core domain revealed that DMV is closely related to CLBV as a member of the genus Citrivirus. DMV did not satisfy the molecular criteria for demarcation of an independent species within the genus Citrivirus, family Betaflexiviridae, and hence, DMV can be considered a CLBV isolate

Characterization of morbilliviruses isolated from dolphins and porpoises in Europe.

A previously unidentified morbillivirus was isolated from two harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) that had died in the Dutch Waddensea (North Sea) in 1990. This porpoise morbillivirus (PMV) and a dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), which had recently caused a heavy mortality in Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), were compared antigenically with other members of the genus Morbillivirus, including the newly recognized phocine distemper virus type 1. DMV and PMV proved to be similar but distinct morbilliviruses, closely related to rinderpest virus and peste-des-petits-ruminants virus. Cell cultures of cetacean, pinniped, ruminant and canine origin showed a different pattern of susceptibility to DMV and PMV infection. Ruminants and dogs proved to be susceptible to experimental infection with DMV and PMV, which both caused a transient leukopenia most pronounced in the ruminants. Pre-exposure of dogs to DMV and PMV protected them from developing CDV viraemia and clinical signs upon challenge infection with virulent CDV. A serological survey among stranded animals of different cetacean species in Europe indicated that infections with DMV- and PMV-like morbilliviruses are not uncommon among these aquatic mammals