No evidence for replication of a field strain of bluetongue virus serotype 1 in the blood of domestic dogs.
The potential role of domestic dogs in the long-distance transmission of bluetongue virus (BTV) is currently unproven. This study set out, through an experimental infection study, to investigate whether domestic dogs mount a viraemia post-infection with a field strain of BTV serotype 1. All six experimentally infected dogs seroconverted within 14 days and viral RNA was detected in the blood of the dogs, albeit at significantly lower levels than that seen in domestic ruminants. There was no clear evidence for viral replication in the dogs as no increase in viral RNA was observed in, and it was not possible isolate virus from, the blood of the dogs. There was however evidence for a persistence of viral RNA in the blood of the dogs, which may be evidence for a low level of replication or could be indicative of persistence of the viral inoculum.
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. Electronic address: chris.oura@sta.uwi.edu.
C A L
CA
Oura
Société de productions pharmaceutiques et vétérinaires, Laboratoire de Virologie, Av Hassan II, BP 4569 Rabat, Morocco.
G
G
Sebbar
Société de productions pharmaceutiques et vétérinaires, Laboratoire de Virologie, Av Hassan II, BP 4569 Rabat, Morocco.
C
C
Loutfi
Laboratoire de microbiologie, IAV Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
O
O
Fassi-Fehri
Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Militaire Med V, UM5, Souissi, Rabat, Morocco.
N
N
Touil
Société de productions pharmaceutiques et vétérinaires, Laboratoire de Virologie, Av Hassan II, BP 4569 Rabat, Morocco.
M
M
El Harrak
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014766:Viremia / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral
Bluetongue virus serotype 1; Domestic dogs; Reservoir; Transmission