title: Rotavirus-associated diarrhoea in foals in Greece.
abstract: Severe outbreaks of diarrhoeic syndrome occurred in young foals at the same stud farm during two consecutive breeding periods namely spring 2006 and 2007. Rotavirus-like particles were detected by electron microscopy in the faeces of the affected foals and group A rotavirus infection was confirmed by Reverse-Transcription (RT)-PCR with selected sets of rotavirus-specific primers. Sequence analysis of the genes encoding the outer capsid rotavirus proteins VP7 and VP4 enabled classification of the viruses as G3AP[12] and revealed that the viruses were highly similar to recently reported equine rotavirus strains circulating in Europe. All Greek equine rotavirus isolates were genetically identical, suggesting persistence of the same viral strain in the stud farm, over the two consecutive foaling periods.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural University of Athens, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ntafis
authors.forename: Eir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fragkiadaki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Xylouri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Omirou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavazza
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martella
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006736:Horses; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016624:Negative Staining; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus