title: Brazilian Vaccinia virus strains are genetically divergent and differ from the Lister vaccine strain.
abstract: Vaccinia virus is responsible for an important zoonotic disease affecting dairy cattle and humans in Brazil, but little is known about the origin, epidemiology and evolution of these Brazilian Vaccinia virus strains. In this work, seven Brazilian Vaccinia virus strains and the Lister-derived Brazilian vaccine strain, named Lister-Butantan, were compared based on the sequences of ten host range and virulence related genes. Comparison of Brazilian Vaccinia virus strains with Lister-Butantan revealed several differences. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the existence of genetically distinct Brazilian Vaccinia virus groups and has not thus far demonstrated a close relationship between Brazilian strains and Lister-Butantan. In this study, the BeAn58058 and SPAn232 strains were grouped together with the Belo Horizonte and Guarani P1 strains. Additionally, genetic polymorphisms in host range and virulence genes as well as differences in the deduced amino acid sequences were detected among Brazilian Vaccinia virus. This genetic diversity may result in a plethora of different biological properties presented by Brazilian Vaccinia virus, including differences in adaptation to the host as well as pathogenic properties. Furthermore, co-circulation of these divergent strains could increase the possibility of recombination events in nature, leading to the formation of new variants with unpredictable pathogenic potential.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Avenida Antônio Carlos, 6627, caixa postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Betânia Paiva
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Drumond
authors.forename: Juliana Almeida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Flávio Guimarães
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.forename: Cláudio Antônio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bonjardim
authors.forename: Paulo César Peregrino
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Erna Geessien
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kroon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000821:virology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology*; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral