SEMViD relative in permafrost

Discovery

After the SEMViD-50 pandemic was declared over, research in permafrost flourished, as funding SEMViD raised awareness for the topic. In the year of 2054, excavations in the last remaining Swiss permafrost led by a group of archaeologists uncovered frozen human bone. A routine screening for pathogen-associated aDNA by a group of geneticists caused worldwide surprise, revealing another member of Semvirinae subfamily, which has been inactive for millennia. Age analysis by 14C-Analysis suggests this virus has been active 12,000 years ago and remained dormant within the ice since then.

Phylogenetic Positioning

After the discovery, bioinformatic sequence alignment was used to determine relations of the newly discovered virus to SEMViD-50. This approach was hindered by the lack of other reference genomes. Recent research seems to suggest the SEMViD ancestor is part of Semvirinae subfamily, but not the most direct ancestor of SEMViD-50, implying a high diversity of Semvirinae during the last ice age.

Genome

The genome of the SEMViD ancestor bears strong resemblance to SEMViD, having only slightly changed envelope and capsid structures, as well as an astoundingly conserved NGI2 ortholog. However, the structural proteins necessary for encephalitic activity seem to not be present.

Disease potential

The announcement of a discovery of a SEMViD relative sparked intense medial debate, as people feared the beginning of a new pandemic. When researchers at the University of Bern announced that they planned to research the new SEMViD relative, large demonstrations swept through the city, as masses called for a suspension of that research. As the protests died down a few months later, further research was conducted on this virus at Bern, but no outbreak occurred. In the 2060s, a series of further findings of SEMViD relative in fossils of moose, mammoths and humans as well as an extinct tick relative showed that SEMViD relative used to be a potent pathogen in its time but is not adapted for any currently existing vectors. As such, it poses no threat to public health.