title: Experimental infection of young adult European breed sheep with Rift Valley fever virus field isolates.
abstract: The increasing interest in Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and its potential impact on naive animal populations deserve revisiting experimental reproduction of RVFV infection, particularly in those animal breeds for which no data about their susceptibility to RVFV infection have ever been recorded. In this study we show the susceptibility of 9-10 weeks old European sheep (Ripollesa breed) to RVFV infection, showing a mild, subacute form of disease. Four different viral isolates efficiently replicated in vivo after subcutaneous experimental inoculation, and consistent viral loads in blood and virus shedding (variable in length depending on the RVFV isolate used) were detected, showing horizontal transmission to a noninfected, sentinel lamb. RVFV infection caused transient pyrexia in adult lambs and no other clinical symptoms were observed, with the exception of corneal opacity ("blue eye") found in 3 out of 16 subcutaneously inoculated sheep. In conclusion, adult sheep from this European breed are readily infected with RVFV without apparent clinical manifestations.
authors.affiliation: CReSA, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal, UAB-IRTA, Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Busquets
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martín-Folgar
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galindo-Cardiel
authors.forename: Bernat Pérez
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: del Val
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Solanes
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domingo
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012295:Rift Valley Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012296:Rift Valley fever virus / Q000145:classification*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral