title: Molecular detection of norovirus in sheep and pigs in New Zealand farms.
abstract: Human norovirus (NoV) is reportedly the major cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide and is commonly associated with water- and food-borne transmission via the faecal-oral route. Aside from humans, norovirus has been detected in pigs, cattle and mice. The close relatedness of some human and animal noroviruses has raised concerns about potential zoonotic transmission. Our laboratory recently reported the development of a multiplex real-time RT-PCR for the detection and genotyping of norovirus of genogroups I-III. Here we report a study of 56 faecal specimens from pigs and sheep that were collected and screened for noroviruses using this assay. Norovirus was found in 2/23 (9%) of porcine specimens (all were genogroup II) and in 8/33 (24%) of ovine specimens (all were genogroup III). Samples tested positive for norovirus were verified by conventional RT-PCR with different primer sets. Genomes of representative porcine and ovine norovirus strains underwent partial sequence analysis (343 and 2045 bases, respectively). This is the first report describing norovirus in sheep.
authors.affiliation: Communicable Disease Group, Institute of Environmental Science & Research Ltd., Kenepuru Science Centre, P.O. Box 50-348, Porirua 5022, New Zealand. sandro.wolf@esr.cri.nz
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Malet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivera-Aban
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scholes
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Savill
authors.forename: Gail E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Greening
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009520:New Zealand; D029322:Norovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral