''Boolarra virus'' (BoV) is a member of the family ''

Nodaviridae ''Nodaviridae'' is a family of nonenveloped positive-strand RNA viruses. Vertebrates and invertebrates serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with this family include: viral encephalopathy and retinopathy in fish. There are nine species in ...

''. It was named after

Boolarra, Victoria Boolarra is a small township located in the Latrobe Valley, in central Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. At th2016 Census Boolarra had a population of 973 with 48% males and 52% females and an average age of 50. The Boolarra Folk Festival is held ...

where it was first discovered after infecting and killing or severely debilitating a pest

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. T ...

. As of now, the only known host for ''Boolarra virus'' is the ''

Oncopera intricoides ''Oncopera intricoides'' is a moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximat ...

'' which a moth that is endemic to

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

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History and discovery

In the winter of 1977, an outbreak of ''

'' prompted examination of the insect and its habits. While examining the pest, many dead and terminal larvae were found. After looking closely to discover the cause these insects' ailment, researchers were unable to find any traces of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

, or

protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histor ...

that could have contributed to the insects' death. After further examination, the researchers found viral particles that were found to be members of the

. After comparing the

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

genome of this virus with that of other members of the

, it was found to be different and therefore a new member of the

. After this discovery, the virus was named after the place where the infected ''Oncopera intricoides'' were found;

Physical data

''Boolarra virus'' typically measures around 30 nano-meters and is approximately 21 percent RNA. ''Boolarra virus'' is characterized by its polyhedral shape. The virus only shares a significant portion of the same

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha ...

sequence with the

Nodamura virus ''Nodamura virus'' (NoV) is a member of the family Nodaviridae, which was originally isolated from mosquitoes (''Culex tritaeniorhynchus'') in Japan near the village of Nodamura in 1956. Other members of Nodaviridae are flock house virus (FHV) an ...

, which is a similar

Nodavirus ''Nodaviridae'' is a family of nonenveloped positive-strand RNA viruses. Vertebrates and invertebrates serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with this family include: viral encephalopathy and retinopathy in fish. There are nine species ...

. Among other Nodoviruses, Boolarra was not very similar concerning amino acid sequences. Still a very rare virus, ''Boolarra virus'' can only be found in a very small population of moths that is endemic to the region of Victoria, Australia. While only found within this small population, the virus causes severe harm to occur to infected larvae and can even cause death.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18972025 Nodaviridae