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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Animal Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #183380
Title: A NOVEL SUBGROUP OF RHADINOVIRUSES IN RUMINANTS

Author
item Li, Hong
item Gailbreath, Katherine
item FLACH, E - INSTITUTE FOR ZOOLOGY, UK
item Taus, Naomi
item COOLEY, J - NC VET DIAGNOSTICS LAB
item Keller, Janice
item RUSSELL, G - MOREDUM RSRCH INST, UK
item Knowles Jr, Donald
item HAIG, D - MOREDUM RSRCH INST, UK
item OAKS, J - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item Traul, Donald
item CRAWFORD, T - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2005
Publication Date: 11/2/2005
Citation: Li, H., Gailbreath, K.L., Flach, E.J., Taus, N.S., Cooley, J., Keller, J., Russell, G., Knowles Jr, D.P., Haig, D.M., Oaks, J.L., Traul, D., Crawford, T.B. A novel subgroup of rhadinoviruses in ruminants. November, 2005, 48th Annual Meeting of American Association of Laboratory Diagnosticians, Hershey, PA. P.31.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The rapidly developing Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily contains 2 genera of lymphotropic viruses, Lymphocryptovirus and Rhadinovirus, members of which are receiving increasing recognition as significant pathogens in humans, non-human primates and other animal species. The viruses associated with the clinical syndrome known as malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) are within one recently defined subgroup of the ruminant rhadinoviruses. In the course of investigating the MCF subgroup of rhadinoviruses, seven novel rhadinoviruses were identified in a variety of ruminants, including domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, bison, black-tailed deer, mule deer, fallow deer, elk, and addax, which clustered into a second distinct subgroup in ruminants with three members identified previously in cattle, domestic goats and Oryx. No association with disease has yet been found for the viruses in this subgroup. Genetic relationships of these viruses were evaluated by sequencing the respective amplicons yielded by PCR amplification of peripheral blood leukocyte DNA using herpesvirus-specific degenerate primers targeting a portion of the viral DNA polymerase gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the currently known ruminant rhadinoviruses appear to comprise three distinct genetic lineages: 1) the MCF-subgroup, defined by sequence homology and the presence of the 15A antigenic epitope; 2) a second distinct subgroup, devoid of the 15A epitope, which contains the previously reported bovine lymphotropic herpesvirus and related viruses; and 3) a third distinct subgroup represented by bovine herpesvirus-4. Comparison of phylogenetic trees between the rhadinoviruses and their corresponding hosts further supports the gammaherpesvirus-host co-evolution theory.