title: Variation in the NS3/NS3A gene of bluetongue viruses contained in Culicoides sonorensis collected from a single site in southern California.
abstract: To determine the variability of the NS3/NS3A gene of field strains of BTV contained in Culicoides sonorensis collected from a single site in California (CA), the NS3/NS3A gene was directly amplified and sequenced from 22 pools of C. sonorensis and compared with those of previously characterized field isolates from CA, as well as to viruses that caused recent outbreaks of bluetongue disease in ruminants in CA. Phylogenetic analysis established that the NS3/NS3A gene of strains of BTV contained in C. sonorensis collected from the site exists as a heterogeneous population. The two most divergent nucleotide sequences of the NS3/NS3A genes of these viruses differed by 2.5% (18 nucleotides). Comparison with the NS3/NS3A gene sequences from viruses that caused recent instances of bluetongue disease in ruminants in CA indicated that BTV strains from different geographic regions can exhibit a higher degree of genetic heterogeneity (up to 6.6%; 0-48 nucleotide differences) than those contained in C. sonorensis collected from a single site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Haring Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Bonneau
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Topol
authors.forename: Alec C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gerry
authors.forename: Bradley A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mullens
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Velten
authors.forename: N James
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: MacLachlan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D002140:California; D002460:Cell Line; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000821:virology*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D006224:Cricetinae; D005814:Genes, Viral; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010802:Phylogeny; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C075080:S10 protein, Bluetongue virus; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins