Molecular analysis of encephalomyocarditis viruses isolated from pigs and rodents in Italy

• Published in: Virus research Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 53 - 62
• Main Authors: Knowles, N.J., Dickinson, N.D., Wilsden, G., Carra, E., Brocchi, E., De Simone, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.09.1998
• Subjects: Acute myocarditis; ANIMAL VIRUSES; Animals; Base Sequence; Capsid - genetics; Capsid Proteins; Cardiovirus Infections - epidemiology; Cardiovirus Infections - veterinary; Cardiovirus Infections - virology; CERDO; Disease Outbreaks; DNA, Viral; Encephalomyocarditis virus; Encephalomyocarditis virus - classification; Encephalomyocarditis virus - genetics; Encephalomyocarditis virus - isolation & purification; EPIDEMIOLOGIA; EPIDEMIOLOGIE; EPIDEMIOLOGY; ITALIA; ITALIE; ITALY; Italy - epidemiology; MIOCARDITIS; Molecular epidemiology; Molecular Sequence Data; MYOCARDITE; MYOCARDITIS; NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE; PCR; Polymerase chain reaction; PORCIN; RODENTIA; Sciuridae; SECUENCIA NUCLEOTIDICA; SEQUENCE NUCLEOTIDIQUE; Sequencing; SWINE; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - virology; VIRUS DE LOS ANIMALES; VIRUS DES ANIMAUX; Italy; Polymerase chain reaction; Molecular epidemiology; Acute myocarditis; Sequencing; Encephalomyocarditis virus
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1702(98)00081-1

Partial nucleotide sequences of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) viruses isolated from five, apparently independent, outbreaks of fatal myocarditis in pigs in Italy were compared with three EMC viruses isolated from wild rodents from a different geographic region in the same country. These viruses were also compared with EMC viruses isolated from pigs in other European countries and three historical strains. All the Italian EMC viruses were closely related (>94.6% nucleotide identity), but were distinct from viruses occurring in Belgium in 1991 (<80.5% nucleotide identity), Greece in 1990 (<83.3% nucleotide identity) and the three older viruses (<82.9% nucleotide identity). An EMC virus isolated from pigs in the Netherlands in 1988, was closely related to the Italian viruses (95.3–99.3% nucleotide identity). It is suggested that pigs may play a role in the movement of EMC viruses between different geographic regions.