Distinguishing features

The genus is distinguished on the basis of genetic characters.

Virion

Morphology

No details are available on the morphology of the virions.

Nucleic acid

Genome (Boros et al., 2013): c. 7092–7429 nt (5′-UTR: >393–532 nt; ORF: 6,657–6,747 nt; 3′-UTR: 25–180 nt). 5′-UTR contains a type IV-B IRES. The 3′-UTR of members of the species Kunsagivirus A are the shortest of picornaviruses, at 25 nt. The location of the cre has not been identified.

Genome organization and replication

Genome layout:

VPg+5′-UTR^IRES-IVB-[1AB-1C-1D-2A1^npgp/(2A2^npgp/2A3^npgp/)2A4-2B-2C/3A-3B-3C-3D]-3′-UTR-poly(A)

The deduced polyprotein is of 2,248 amino acids. There is no L protein. 1AB remains uncleaved. 2A1 is a short foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)-like polypeptide (NPG¯P), bakunsaviruses have three FMDV-like 2A proteins, another 2A protein has unknown function.

Antigenicity

See discussion under family description.

Biology

Viral RNA of an isolate of Kunsagivirus A was detected in faeces of an apparently healthy European roller (Coracias garrulus), of Kunsagivirus B in faeces of the fruit bat Eidolon helvum, and of Kunsagivirus C in wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus).

Species demarcation criteria

Members of a species of the genus Kunsagivirus share a common genome organization.

The divergence (number of differences per site between sequences) between members of different Kunsagivirus species is for 0.51 for P1 and 0.52 for 3CD

Member species

Virus names, the choice of exemplar isolates, and virus abbreviations, are not official ICTV designations.

Derivation of names

Kunsagi-: from the name of part of the Great Hungarian Plain – "Kunság" – where the first samples were collected