Abstract:
Shuni virus (SHUV), a member of the genus
Orthobunyavirus, has in a recent study been associated
with neurological disease in horses in South Africa. After
its first isolation in 1966 from an asymptomatic bovine,
very little attention was given to the genetic characterisation
of SHUV. The association of SHUV with severe
neurological disease in several horses in South Africa
prompted us to determine the full genome sequence of a
horse neurovirulent isolate to compare it to other members
of the genus Orthobunyavirus, as well as the partially
sequenced genome of the prototype SHUV strain. The
availability of a full genome sequence will facilitate the
development of a reverse genetics system to study SHUV
molecular biology and pathogenesis.
