The complete nucleotide sequences of L3 and S7 segments of Ibaraki virus encoding for the major inner capsid proteins, VP3 and VP7

Epizootic heamorragic disease

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) is an infectious non-contagious viral disease transmitted by insects of the genus Culicoides which affects wild and domestic ruminants. The causative agent, the epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), belongs to the family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus and shares many morphological and structural characteristics with the other members of the genus such as bluetongue, African horse sickness and equine encephalosis viruses. In recent years EHD outbreaks have been reported in countries bordering the European Union. They caused disease in cattle and severe repercussion on the livestock industry of the affected countries. In the light of recent European bluetongue epizootic these events pose an increasing threat to the European Union. This review includes the most recent information regarding the virus and the disease as well as tools for its diagnosis and control. It is our conviction that more attention should be drawn to both EHDV and the disease itself in order to fulfil all these gaps and not to be unprepared in case future possible incursions.

Assessment of the productivity effects associated with epizootic hemorrhagic disease in dairy herds

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is caused by a Culicoides-borne Orbivirus. In cattle, the disease is characterized by reduced milk production and mortality. Recent outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) in North Africa, Israel, and Turkey increase the risk of its invasion into central and northern Europe. An outbreak of EHDV in Israel during the fall of 2006 enabled an assessment of the consequent production losses to the dairy cattle industry. Reduction in milk production and involuntary culling were modeled using a 4-yr database of monthly milk and mortality records from 48 affected and 63 unaffected herds. These indices were compared between periods of outbreak and no outbreak and assessed for various levels and exposure onset. Geospatial kriging interpolation of serological results from 127 herds was used to assess the total outbreak losses for the dairy cattle industry in Israel. Herds affected during the first, second, and third month of the outbreak (September-November) experienced an average loss of 207 (95% CI=154-261), 137 (63-211), and 52 (27-76) kg of milk/milking cow, respectively, during the outbreak period. An average excess mortality and involuntary culling of 1.47/100 cows was documented in herds affected in September. High correlation was observed between EHDV seroprevalence and milk loss; average milk loss for herds with seropositivity of 26 to 50, 51 to 75, and 76 to 100% was 84, 133, and 204 kg of milk/milking cow, respectively. A 1.42% (0.91-1.93%) increase in mortality was observed in herds with seroprevalence above 50%. Losses for the dairy cattle industry interpolated from these data were estimated at US$2,491,000 (US$1,591,000-3,391,000), an average loss of US$26.5/cow in the Israeli dairy cattle. This equals 0.55% of the average total value production of a dairy cow in Israel. This is the first study to estimate the production losses caused by EHDV or any bluetongue-like disease.

Simultaneous detection of bovine arboviruses using single-tube multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

Single-tube multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) assay was developed to detect and identify arboviruses in infected cell-culture fluids and field specimens. The technique was equally sensitive for detecting five different viruses in cell cultures, namely the Chuzan, Ibaraki, and Bluetongue viruses belonging to Orbivirus, and the Akabane virus and Peaton virus belonging to Orthobunyavirus, and was less sensitive than former viruses for detecting Aino virus belonging to Orthobunyavirus. The mRT-PCR reliably detected 0.6-10(3.1) median tissue culture infective doses. The mRT-PCR readily identified viruses by discriminating the size of their amplified gene products. The technique was as sensitive as virus isolation in detecting single infected plasma in five plasmas from sentinel cattle and in detecting two infectious homogenates in eight homogenates of Culicoides biting midges. The mRT-PCR may be a sensitive and rapid assay for surveillance of bovine arboviruses in field specimens.

Differences in Ibaraki virus RNA segment 3 sequences from three epidemics

Phylogenetic tree and partial nucleotide sequence analysis of RNA segment 3 were conducted to compare the Ibaraki virus (IBAV) strains from three epidemics in Japan, and serotype 2 epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus strains isolated in Australia, Taiwan, and Canada. Each strain was classified relative to the Ibaraki disease (IBAD) epidemics, which occurred in 1959-1960, 1987, or 1997-1998. In particular, major variation of the gene was identified in the strains isolated after 1997 when a new type of IBAD with the abnormal birth was confirmed. Ibaraki viruses isolated in Japan were more closely related to Taiwanese and Australian strains based on genetics, while the Canadian strain was more distantly related.

Analysis of intratypic variation evident in an Ibaraki virus strain and its epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serogroup

A new strain of Ibaraki virus (IBAV) was isolated from cattle showing atypical symptoms of Ibaraki disease. The isolate was genetically characterized, and the genetic diversity and evolution of the capsid proteins of viruses in the epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serogroup were investigated. The nucleotide sequences of the isolate's viral RNA segments 2, 3, 6, and 7, which encode the viral structural proteins VP2, VP3, VP5, and VP7, respectively, were determined and were then compared against those of the existing strains of IBAV and EHDV, to which IBAV belongs serologically. The nucleotide sequences of segments 3 and 7 were conserved within the EHDV serogroup, particularly well among the strains of IBAV and Australian EHDV. The similarity of the sequence of segment 6 of the isolate to sequences of corresponding segments of the other strains of IBAV and EHDV was found to be about 93%. The similarity of segment 2 of the isolate to segments 2 of the other strains of IBAV and EHDV was less than 70%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the deduced amino acid sequences of segments 3 and 7 revealed that the viruses differed according to their geographical distributions. However, the new isolate of IBAV was categorized as having a distinct lineage in the phylogenetic tree of VP2. These results suggest that the isolate was modified by a reassortment of segment 2 and that it exhibits unique genetic and antigenic characteristics.