Genetic characterization of K13965, a strain of Oak Vale virus from Western Australia

► Complete genomic sequences of Australian viruses K13965 and Oak Vale were determined using an unbiased sequencing approach. ► Sequence analysis identified K13965 as a rhabdovirus and as a strain of Oak Val virus. ► Genome organization is remarkable for P′(C)/P′′ ORFs combined with a SH gene, and overlap between the G and L genes. ► Phylogenetic analyses indicate relationships to the African Sandjimba clade and the Australian Almpiwar clade. K13965, an uncharacterized virus, was isolated in 1993 from Anopheles annulipes mosquitoes collected in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. Here, we report its genomic sequence, identify it as a rhabdovirus, and characterize its phylogenetic relationships. The genome comprises a P′ (C) and SH protein similar to the recently characterized Tupaia and Durham viruses, and shows overlap between G and L genes. Comparison of K13965 genome sequence to other rhabdoviruses identified K13965 as a strain of the unclassified Australian Oak Vale rhabdovirus, whose complete genome sequence we also determined. Phylogenetic analysis of N and L sequences indicated genetic relationship to a recently proposed Sandjima virus clade, although the Oak Vale virus sequences form a branch separate from the African members of that group.