Gouléako Virus Isolated from West African Mosquitoes Constitutes a Proposed Novel Genus in the Family Bunyaviridae

The family Bunyaviridae is the most diversified family of RNA viruses. We describe a novel prototypic bunyavirus, tentatively named Gouléako virus, isolated from various mosquito species trapped in Côte d’Ivoire. The S segment comprised 1,087 nucleotides (nt), the M segment 3,188 nt, and the L segment 6,358 nt, constituting the shortest bunyavirus genome known so far. The virus had shorter genome termini than phleboviruses and showed no evidence of encoded NSs and NSm proteins. An uncharacterized 105-amino-acid (aa) putative open reading frame (ORF) was detected in the S segment. Genetic equidistance to other bunyaviruses (74 to 88 % aa identity) and absence of serological cross-reactivity with phleboviruses suggested a proposed novel Bunyaviridae genus. The family Bunyaviridae comprises the five genera Hantavi-rus, Nairovirus, Orthobunyavirus, Phlebovirus, and Tospovirus (26). Classification was originally based on serological relation-ships but has been extended to include virion morphology, genome organization, and phylogenetic relationships. Conge-neric members have further features in common, such as con-served genome termini, identical coding strategies, and en