Introducing OHFV Analyzer, a Tool for Automated Analysis of Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Dynamics

Viral population surveillance is an essential task in public health, especially in preventing pandemics. The Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV) is an etiological agent which is close to tick-borne encephalitis virus. Mainly, it is geographically limited to western Siberian regions, including Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kurgan, and Tyumen. Earlier, we presented an online platform, TBEV-Analyzer, for analysis and monitoring of TBEV. That platform relies on a model called clusteron structure, constructed based on phylogenetic networks. Using that experience, we introduce here OHFV Analyzer, an online analytical platform designed for specifically monitoring the Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus. The platform can automatically determine the phylogenetic history of a query strain based on analysis of a specific E protein fragment. In addition, the platform provides the specific amino acid signature of the clusteron to which the query belongs and presents a visualization of it superimposed on the envelope glycoprotein surface. We believe the proposed platform can serve as an exploratory tool for OHFV monitoring while helping to better understand the pathogen's genetic diversity and evolutionary history.