%0 Journal Article %A Vapalahti, Olli %A Lundkvist, Åke %A Kukkonen, Sami K. J. %A Cheng, Ying %A Gilljam, Mari %A Kanerva, Mari %A Manni, Tytti %A Pejcoch, Milan %A Niemimaa, Jukka %A Kaikusalo, Asko %A Henttonen, Heikki %A Vaheri, Antti %A Plyusnin, Alexander %T Isolation and characterization of Tula virus, a distinct serotype in the genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae %D 1996 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 77 %N 12 %P 3063-3067 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-77-12-3063 %I Microbiology Society, %X A Vero E6 cell culture isolate of Tula virus (TUL), a hantavirus first detected in European common voles (Microtus arvalis and M. rossiaemeridionalis) by RT-PCR was obtained after initial passaging of TUL-infected vole lung samples in laboratory-colonized M. arvalis. TUL was defined as a classical serotype by a cross-focus-reduction neutralization test (FRNT) and was also shown to be distinct from other hantaviruses by haemagglutination inhibition assay. The sequences of S, M and partial L genome segments of the isolate were determined: the S segment was 99.9% identical to the original rodent-derived sequence. Serological evidence for a previous TUL infection was obtained from the serum of a blood donor living near a TUL focus in Moravia, Czech Republic, showing at least a 16-fold higher FRNT titre to TUL as compared to Puumala or other hantaviruses. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-77-12-3063