Bunyamwera virus

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Bunyamwera virus

Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) is a negative-sense, segmented, enveloped RNA virus. It belongs to the Orthobunyavirus genus in the Peribunyaviridae family. The virus can infect humans and the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

It was first isolated in 1943 near Bunyamwera, a town in western Uganda. Reassortant viruses that come from BUNV, such as Ngari virus, have been linked to large outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever in Africa (notably Kenya and Somalia).

Molecular biology at a glance:
- The genome has three segments: L, M, and S.
- L segment encodes the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein).
- M segment encodes two surface glycoproteins (Gn and Gc) and a nonstructural protein (NSm).
- S segment encodes the nucleocapsid protein (N) and, in an overlapping reading frame, a second nonstructural protein (NSs).
- The genome segments are packaged with N protein into ribonucleoprotein particles. The N protein is the most abundant protein and a common target for diagnostics.

Taxonomy in brief:
- Class: Bunyaviricetes
- Order: Elliovirales
- Family: Peribunyaviridae
- Genus: Orthobunyavirus
- Species: Orthobunyavirus bunyamweraense (the virus’s scientific naming)

In summary, Bunyamwera virus is a mosquito-associated RNA virus important for understanding how related viruses can swap genome segments and cause outbreaks.