Isolation and molecular characterisation of a pestivirus from goats in Egypt

Ruminant pestiviruses in North Africa

Ruminant pestiviruses are widely distributed worldwide, causing congenital disease and massive economic losses. Although ruminant production is an important economic sector in North Africa, the knowledge about pestiviruses is scarce. The present study aimed at assessing the presence of Pestivirus in cattle in Algeria, and to review the data available on ruminant pestiviruses in North Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted on dairy farms from North-Western Algeria. Blood samples from 234 dairy cattle from 31 herds were collected. All sera were analysed for the presence of antibodies using a commercial iELISA. The presence of Pestivirus RNA was also assessed by using a Reverse Transcription-PCR, and PCR-positive samples were sequenced. Risk factors related to Pestivirus infection were also analysed. The review of the presence of ruminant pestiviruses in North Africa was performed using a systematic search and compilation methodology of the peer-reviewed literature available in order to identify gaps of knowledge for future research. The seroprevalence at population and farm levels obtained in the present study (59.9% and 93.5%, respectively) concur with data reported in neighbouring countries. Risk factors associated with Pestivirus infection in cattle were the presence of sheep in the herd and the animal category (cow vs heifer). Furthermore, we confirmed the presence of BVDV-1a in Algeria. The scarce data suggest an endemic epidemiological scenario of pestivirus in livestock. The lack of studies about the epidemiology and molecular variability of ruminant pestiviruses in livestock and wildlife in North Africa is of concern for animal health and wildlife conservation, and needs to be addressed.

Variability and Global Distribution of Subgenotypes of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a globally-distributed agent responsible for numerous clinical syndromes that lead to major economic losses. Two species, BVDV-1 and BVDV-2, discriminated on the basis of genetic and antigenic differences, are classified in the genus Pestivirus within the Flaviviridae family and distributed on all of the continents. BVDV-1 can be segregated into at least twenty-one subgenotypes (1a–1u), while four subgenotypes have been described for BVDV-2 (2a–2d). With respect to published sequences, the number of virus isolates described for BVDV-1 (88.2%) is considerably higher than for BVDV-2 (11.8%). The most frequently-reported BVDV-1 subgenotype are 1b, followed by 1a and 1c. The highest number of various BVDV subgenotypes has been documented in European countries, indicating greater genetic diversity of the virus on this continent. Current segregation of BVDV field isolates and the designation of subgenotypes are not harmonized. While the species BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 can be clearly differentiated independently from the portion of the genome being compared, analysis of different genomic regions can result in inconsistent assignment of some BVDV isolates to defined subgenotypes. To avoid non-conformities the authors recommend the development of a harmonized system for subdivision of BVDV isolates into defined subgenotypes.