Analysis of bluetongue serotype 3 spread in Tunisia and discovery of a novel strain related to the bluetongue virus isolated from a commercial sheep pox vaccine

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In this rapid communication, a novel atypical bluetongue virus (BTV) strain detected in goats in the Piedmont region (north-western Italy) is described. This strain, BTV-Z ITA2017, is most related in Seg-2/VP-2 (83.8% nt/82.7% aa) to strain TOV of BTV-25. Reactive antisera of goats positive by cELISA for BTV antibodies failed to neutralize a chimeric virus expressing the outermost protein of TOV. Infected animals displayed low levels of RNAemia and absence of clinical signs consistent with bluetongue infection, a scenario described in animals infected with atypical BTV strains.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One after the other: A novel Bluetongue virus strain related to Toggenburg virus detected in the Piedmont region (North-western Italy), extends the panel of novel atypical BTV strains

Marcacci

Sant

Mangone

et al. 2018

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“…In November 2016, a novel BTV‐3w (BTV‐3 TUN2016, GenBank accession numbers ‐) was identified in a symptomatic sheep located in the Municipality of Hannous (Governorate of Nabeul; Delegation of Beni Khalled), in the north‐eastern part of Tunisia, in the middle area of Cap Bon (Sghaier et al., ). Further surveillance conducted in Tunisia revealed the widespread circulation of BTV‐3w in ruminants and the existence of an additional variant named BTV‐3 TUN2016/Zarzis (Lorusso et al., ). One year after the first official notification in Tunisia, a BTV‐3w strain identical to BTV‐3 TUN2016 was identified in a 3‐year‐old female crossbred sheep belonging to a flock of 400 animals located in the surroundings of Trapani, western part of Sicily, facing the peninsula of Cap Bon (Lorusso et al., ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, samples were negative by qPCR typing . Therefore, based on the epidemiological scenario previously described (Lorusso et al., , ) samples were tested by a real‐time RT‐qPCR specific for detection of the Seg‐2 of BTV‐3w (Lorusso et al., ). All four samples including 2018TE20820/1, 2018TE20820/4, 2018TE20821/1 and 2018TR20821/2 were positive for the presence of BTV‐3w RNA and were used for direct next‐generation sequencing (NGS) by metagenomic approach in order to obtain information on viral genome sequence and constellation.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…EDTA blood samples were collected and purified nucleic acids tested by qPCR NS3 . Resulting positive samples were also sent to the IZSAM for confirmation and genotyping by sequencing a small portion of the Seg‐2 of the viral genome using primers previously described (Lorusso et al., ). On October 5, 2018, the Italian Ministry of Health notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the BTV‐3w outbreak.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Western Bluetongue virus serotype 3 in Sardinia, diagnosis and characterization

Cappai

Rolesu

Loi

et al. 2019

Over the last 20 years, Italy has experienced multiple incursions of different serotypes of Bluetongue virus (BTV), a Culicoides‐borne arbovirus, the causative agent of bluetongue (BT), a major disease of ruminants. The majority of these incursions originated from Northern Africa, likely because of wind‐blown dissemination of infected midges. Here, we report the first identification of BTV‐3 in Sardinia, Italy. BTV‐3 circulation was evidenced in sentinel animals located in the province of Sud Sardegna on September 19, 2018. Prototype strain BTV‐3 SAR2018 was isolated on cell culture. BTV‐3 SAR2018 sequence and partial sequences obtained by next‐generation sequencing from nucleic acids purified from the isolate and blood samples, respectively, were demonstrated to be almost identical (99–100% of nucleotide identity) to BTV‐3 TUN2016 identified in Tunisia in 2016 and 2017, a scenario already observed in past incursions of other BTV serotypes originating from Northern Africa.

“…Bluetongue (BT) disease, caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), is an insect‐transmitted disease of domestic and wild ruminants (Maclachlan, Drew, Darpel, & Worwa, ; Verwoerd & Erasmus, ). BTV belongs to the Orbivirus genus in the Reoviridae family (Mertens, Maan, Samuel, & Attoui, ) with 27 serotypes currently described (Zientara et al., ) and at least six putative new serotypes (Bumbarov, Golender, Erster, & Khinich, ; Lorusso et al., ; Maan et al., ; Marcacci et al., ; Savini et al., ; Sun et al., ). In mainland France, BT first appeared in 2006 as a result of an unexpected emergence of BTV‐8 in the Netherlands and Belgium (Toussaint et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergence of bluetongue virus serotype 4 in mainland France in November 2017

Sailleau

Bréard

Viarouge

et al. 2018

In November 2017, a 15-day-old calf located in France (Haute-Savoie department) was found positive for bluetongue virus (BTV) RNA by RT-PCR. Laboratory investigations allowed the isolation and identification of the serotype: BTV-4. The analysis of the full viral genome showed that all the 10 genome segments were closely related to BTV-4 strains involved in a large BT outbreak in the Balkan Peninsula, in Italy since 2014 and in Corsica since the end of October 2016. These results together with epidemiological data suggest that BTV-4 has been introduced to mainland France from Corsica or Italy where BTV-4 outbreaks have been reported in summer and autumn 2016. This is the first report of the introduction of BTV-4 in mainland France.