Sequence analysis of bluetongue virus serotype 8 from the Netherlands 2006 and comparison to other European strains.
During 2006 the first outbreak of bluetongue ever recorded in northern Europe started in Belgium and the Netherlands, spreading to Luxemburg, Germany and north-east France. The virus overwintered (2006-2007) reappearing during May-June 2007 with greatly increased severity in affected areas, spreading further into Germany and France, reaching Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the UK. Infected animals were also imported into Poland, Italy, Spain and the UK. An initial isolate from the Netherlands (NET2006/04) was identified as BTV-8 by RT-PCR assays targeting genome segment 2. The full genome of NET2006/04 was sequenced and compared to selected European isolates, South African vaccine strains and other BTV-8 strains, indicating that it originated in sub-Saharan Africa. Although NET2006/04 showed high levels of nucleotide identity with other 'western' BTV strains, it represents a new introduction and was not derived from the BTV-8 vaccine, although its route of entry into Europe has not been established.
Department of Arbovirology, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0NF (UK).
Sushila
S
Maan
Narender S
NS
Maan
Natalie
N
Ross-smith
Carrie A
CA
Batten
Andrew E
AE
Shaw
Simon J
SJ
Anthony
Alan R
AR
Samuel
Karin E
KE
Darpel
Eva
E
Veronesi
Chris A L
CA
Oura
Karam P
KP
Singh
Kyriaki
K
Nomikou
Abraham C
AC
Potgieter
Houssam
H
Attoui
Eugene
E
van Rooij
Piet
P
van Rijn
Kris
K
De Clercq
Frank
F
Vandenbussche
Stéphan
S
Zientara
Emmanuel
E
Bréard
Corinne
C
Sailleau
Martin
M
Beer
Bernd
B
Hoffman
Philip S
PS
Mellor
Peter P C
PP
Mertens
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000821:virology; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D012703:Serotyping
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral