A highly divergent enteric calicivirus in a bovine calf in India

AbstractA highly divergent bovine calicivirus was identified in an Indian calf with enteritis. The whole genome of this virus was sequenced, revealing distinct amino acid motifs in the polyprotein encoded by open reading frame 1 (ORF1) that are unique to caliciviruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it was related to members of the genusNebovirus of the familyCaliciviridae. Although it showed only 33.7 –34.2% sequence identity in the VP1 protein to the nebovirus prototype strains, it showed 90.6% identity in VP1 to Kirklareli virus, a nebovirus detected in calves with enteritis in Turkey in 2012. An in-house-designed and optimized reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay wa s used to screen 120 archived bovine diarrhoeic fecal samples, 40 each from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, revealing frequent circulation of these divergent caliciviruses in the bovine population, with an overall positivity rate of 64.17% (77/120). This underscore s the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation of the prevalence of these divergent caliciviruses and assessing their associations with other pathogens responsible for enteritis in India.
Source: Archives of Virology - Category: Virology Source Type: research