During arbovirus surveillance in Ixodes ricinus ticks in South Ukraine, two strains of Tribeč virus were isolated using an in vivo method and characterized using the complement fixation text (CFT), hemagglutination assay (HA), electron microscopy, and molecular methods. Both strains replicated well in the BHK-21, PEC, and Vero cell lines and demonstrated 95% nucleotide identity in their VP3 sequences compared with the reference VP3 sequence for Tribeč virus. These two strains of Tribeč virus were named Tr35 and Tr19. Also, segment reassortment involving Tr35, Tr19, TRBV, and LIPV strains was shown.
Keywords: Ixodes ricinus ticks; Orbivirus genus; Reassortment; South Ukraine; Tribeč virus.