title: Complete genome sequence analysis of a reference strain of bluetongue virus serotype 16.
abstract: The entire genome of the reference strain of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 16 (strain RSArrrr/16) was sequenced (a total of 23,518 base pairs). The virus was obtained from the Orbivirus Reference Collection (ORC) at IAH, Pirbright, United Kingdom. The virus strain, which was previously provided by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute in South Africa, was originally isolated from the Indian subcontinent (Hazara, West Pakistan) in 1960. Previous phylogenetic comparisons show that BTV RNA sequences cluster according to the geographic origins of the virus isolate/lineage, identifying distinct BTV topotypes. Sequence comparisons of segments Seg-1 to Seg-10 show that RSArrrr/16 belongs to the major eastern topotype of BTV (BTV-16e) and can be regarded as a reference strain of BTV-16e for phylogenetic and molecular epidemiology studies. All 10 genome segments of RSArrrr/16 group closely with the vaccine strain of BTV-16 (RSAvvvv/16) that was derived from it, as well as those recently published for a Chinese isolate of BTV-16 (>99% nucleotide identity), suggesting a very recent common ancestry for all three viruses.
authors.affiliation: Vector-borne Diseases Programme, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sushila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maan
authors.forename: Narender S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Maan
authors.forename: Karam Pal
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Manjunatha N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Belaganahalli
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guimera
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pullinger
authors.forename: Kyriaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomikou
authors.forename: Peter P C
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mertens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000821:virology; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007194:India; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012703:Serotyping