Deletion of CD2-like gene from the genome of African swine fever virus strain Georgia does not attenuate virulence in swine.

Authors: Borca, Manuel; RAMIREZ MEDIA, ELIZABETH - University Of Connecticut; SILVA, EDIANE - University Of Kansas; VUONO, ELIZABETH - University Of Mississippi; RAI, AYUSHI - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); PRUITT, SARAH - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); HOLINKA, LAUREN - The Jackson Laboratory; VELAZQUEZSALINAS, LAURO - University Of Kansas; Gladue, Douglas; RISATTI, GUILLERMO - University Of Connecticut; SHI, JISHU - University Of Kansas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2019
Publication Date: 1/16/2020
Citation: Borca, M.V., Ramirez Media, E., Silva, E., Vuono, E., Rai, A., Pruitt, S., Holinka, L., Velazquezsalinas, L., Gladue, D.P., Risatti, G., Shi, J. 2020. Deletion of CD2-like gene from the genome of African swine fever virus strain Georgia does not attenuate virulence in swine.. Meeting Abstract. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57455-3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57455-3

Interpretive Summary: African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a devastating disease in swine, called African swine fever (ASF), that is currently spreading across Europe and Asia. There is no available vaccine for ASF, and currently only experimental live attenuated vaccines are derived from deletions of individual genes in the ASFV genome. In this study we a delete a gene in ASFV, that has been shown to be important for attachment to red blood cells deletion of this gene, did not alter the pathogenesis of ASFV.

Technical Abstract: The CD2-like African swine fever virus (ASFV) gene 8DR, (also known as EP402R) encodes for a structural transmembrane glycoprotein that had been shown to mediate hemoadsorption, and be involved in host immunomodulation as well as the induction of protective immune response. In addition, several natural ASFV isolates showing decreased virulence in swine has been shown to be non-hemoadsorbing suggesting an association between altered or deleted forms of 8DR and virus attenuation. Here we demonstrate that deletion of 8DR gene from the genome of ASFV Georgia2010 isolate (ASFV-G-'8DR) does not significantly alter the pathogenesis of the virus. ASFV-G-'8DR inoculated intramuscularly or intranasally (in a range of 10^2 to 10^4 TCID50) produced a clinical disease in domestic pigs indistinguishable from that induced by similar doses of the virulent parental ASFV Georgia2010 isolate. In addition, viremia values in ASFV-G-'8DR do not drastically differ from those detected in animals infected with parental virus. Therefore, deletion of 8DR gene is not associated with a noticeable decrease in virulence of the ASFV Georgia isolate.