Comparative Analysis of the Full-Length Genome Sequence of a Clinical Isolate of Human Parainfluenza Virus 4B

Abstract EN

We are engaged in airborne transmission and epidemiology studies of respiratory pathogens, with particular interest in human parainfluenza virus type 4 (hPIV-4) and other lesser studied viruses.

In this paper, hPIV-4 was detected in primary rhesus monkey kidney (PRMK) cells that had been inoculated with nasopharyngeal swab material obtained from a child with a mild upper respiratory tract illness.

Attempts to isolate the virus in pure culture were hampered by the presence of a fast-growing simian spumavirus that was a contaminant of the PRMK cells.

Total RNA was extracted from the PRMK cell culture, and PCR followed by sequencing of a subgenomic section of the fusion protein gene suggested the hPIV-4 was subtype 4B.

At the time of this work, two complete but dissimilar hPIV-4B genomes had been deposited by others in GenBank.

To gain better insights on hPIV-4B, and to test methods that we are developing for viral forensics, the entire genomic sequence of our virus was determined from archived RNA.

The hPIV-4B genomic sequence that we determined conforms to the paramyxovirus “rule of six.” Here, we compare and contrast the genetic features of the three completely sequenced hPIV-4B genomes currently present in GenBank.