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Identification of a Novel Coronavirus from a Beluga Whale by Using a Panviral Microarray ^,

Departments of Molecular Microbiology and Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri,¹ SeaWorld, San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Dr., San Diego, California 92109,² California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, University of California at Davis, West Health Science Drive, Davis, California 95616³

Received 21 December 2007/ Accepted 5 March 2008

The emergence of viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Nipah virus has underscored the role of animal reservoirs in human disease and the need for reservoir surveillance. Here, we used a panviral DNA microarray to investigate the death of a captive beluga whale in an aquatic park. A highly divergent coronavirus, tentatively named coronavirus SW1, was identified in liver tissue from the deceased whale. Subsequently, the entire genome of SW1 was sequenced, yielding a genome of 31,686 nucleotides. Phylogenetic analysis revealed SW1 to be a novel virus distantly related to but most similar to group III coronaviruses.

Published ahead of print on 19 March 2008.

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