Sequence analysis of bluetongue virus serotype 8 from the Netherlands 2006 and comparison to other European strains

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 377; no. 2; pp. 308 - 318
• Main Authors: Maan, Sushila, Maan, Narender S, Ross-smith, Natalie, Batten, Carrie A, Shaw, Andrew E, Anthony, Simon J, Samuel, Alan R, Darpel, Karin E, Veronesi, Eva, Oura, Chris A.L, Singh, Karam P, Nomikou, Kyriaki, Potgieter, Abraham C, Attoui, Houssam, van Rooij, Eugene, van Rijn, Piet, De Clercq, Kris, Vandenbussche, Frank, Zientara, Stéphan, Bréard, Emmanuel, Sailleau, Corinne, Beer, Martin, Hoffman, Bernd, Mellor, Philip S, Mertens, Peter P.C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-08-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; bluetongue; Bluetongue - virology; Bluetongue virus; Bluetongue virus - classification; Bluetongue virus - genetics; Bluetongue virus - immunology; Bluetongue virus - isolation & purification; BTV; BTV-8; capsid protein; Capsid Proteins - genetics; complete nucleotide-sequence; epizootic hemorrhagic-disease; Europe - epidemiology; Full-genome sequence analysis; gene; genome segments; Genome, Viral; genomics; Infectious Disease; Life Sciences; mediterranean basin; Molecular Sequence Data; Netherlands - epidemiology; Orbivirus; phylogenetic analyses; provenance; Reovirus; republic-of-china; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Double-Stranded - genetics; RNA, Viral - genetics; rt-pcr assay; Sequence Analysis; serotypes; Serotyping; sheep diseases; vectors; Netherlands; Sub-Saharan Africa; Europe; Full-genome sequence analysis; BTV; BTV-8; Reovirus; Orbivirus; Bluetongue virus; FULL-GENOME SEQUENCE ANALYSIS; RELATION VIRUS-VECTEUR; ORBIVIRUS; REOVIRUS; BLUETONGUE VIRUS
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2008.04.028

Abstract During 2006 the first outbreak of bluetongue ever recorded in northern Europe started in Belgium and the Netherlands, spreading to Luxemburg, Germany and north-east France. The virus overwintered (2006–2007) reappearing during May–June 2007 with greatly increased severity in affected areas, spreading further into Germany and France, reaching Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the UK. Infected animals were also imported into Poland, Italy, Spain and the UK. An initial isolate from the Netherlands (NET2006/04) was identified as BTV-8 by RT-PCR assays targeting genome segment 2. The full genome of NET2006/04 was sequenced and compared to selected European isolates, South African vaccine strains and other BTV-8 strains, indicating that it originated in sub-Saharan Africa. Although NET2006/04 showed high levels of nucleotide identity with other ‘western’ BTV strains, it represents a new introduction and was not derived from the BTV-8 vaccine, although its route of entry into Europe has not been established.