Detection and phylogenetic analysis of Orf virus from sheep in Brazil: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Orf virus (ORFV), the prototype of the genus Parapoxvirus (PPV), is the etiological agent of contagious ecthyma, a severe exanthematic dermatitis that afflicts domestic and wild small ruminants. Although South American ORFV outbreaks have occurred and diagnosed there are no South American PPV major membrane glycoprotein B2L gene nucleotide sequences available.


METHODS
an outbreak of ovine contagious ecthyma in Midwest Brazil was investigated. The diagnosis was based on clinical examinations and molecular biology techniques. The molecular characterization of the virus was done using PCR amplification, cloning and DNA sequencing of the B2L gene. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a high degree of identity with ORFV strains, and the isolate was closest to the ORFV-India 82/04 isolate. Another Brazilian ORFV isolate, NE1, was sequenced for comparative analysis and also showed a high degree of identity with an Asian ORFV strain.


CONCLUSIONS
Distinct ORFV strains are circulating in Brazil. This is the first report on the phylogenetic analysis of an ORFV in South America.
Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. jonatas.abrahao@gmail.com
Jônatas S
JS
Abrahão
Rafael K
RK
Campos
Giliane S
GS
Trindade
Maria I M
MI
Guedes
Zélia I P
ZI
Lobato
Carlos
C
Mazur
Paulo C P
PC
Ferreira
Cláudio A
CA
Bonjardim
Erna G
EG
Kroon
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004474:Ecthyma, Contagious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009923:Orf virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012756:Sheep; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins