The Tacaribe virus ( scientifically Tacaribe mammarenavirus , TCRV ) is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded, ambisense RNA (+/- ssRNA) as genome . It is the prototype of the (non-taxonomic) group of the Tacaribe virus complex along with other types of the New World arenaviruses. The virus particles (virions) are 110-130 nm in diameter and have a spherical to irregular shape. The two linear RNA strands of the genome are packed in two ring-shaped capsids as a nucleoprotein complex.
The tacaribe virus was first described in 1956. It was found in the blood of fruit bats ( Artibeus spp. ) In the Gran Tacaribe Cave on the north coast of Trinidad . In contrast to some other New World arenaviruses such as the Junin virus , which can cause severe hemorrhagic fevers with high mortality rates, the tacaribe virus does not play a significant role as a pathogen in humans. To date, only one case of febrile illness caused by the tacaribe virus is known.
The tacaribe virus is currently found in fruit bat populations in the West Indies and Jamaica . So far, two subtypes have been isolated, the tacaribe virus p2b2 (V5 and V7) and TRVLII573.
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