JEV is a virus from the family
Flaviviridae, part of the
Japanese encephalitis serocomplex of 9 genetically and
antigenically related viruses, some which are particularly severe in
horses, and four known to infect humans including
West Nile virus.
[9] The enveloped virus is closely related to the
West Nile virus and the
St. Louis encephalitis virus. The positive sense single-stranded
RNA genome is packaged in the
capsid which is formed by the capsid protein. The outer envelope is formed by envelope protein and is the protective antigen. It aids in entry of the virus into the inside of the cell. The genome also encodes several nonstructural proteins (NS1, NS2a, NS2b, NS3, N4a, NS4b, NS5). NS1 is produced as secretory form also. NS3 is a putative
helicase, and NS5 is the viral
polymerase. It has been noted that Japanese encephalitis infects the
lumen of the
endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
[10][11] and rapidly accumulates substantial amounts of viral proteins. Based on the envelope gene, there are five genotypes (I–V). The Muar strain, isolated from a patient in
Malaya in 1952, is the prototype strain of genotype V. Genotype IV appears to be the ancestral strain, and the virus appears to have evolved in the Indonesian–Malaysian region. The first clinical reports date from 1870, but the virus appears to have evolved in the mid-16th century. Over sixty complete genomes of this virus had been sequenced by 2010.
CG0545 is a high affinity rabbit antibody selectively directed against JE virus