Isolation and molecular characterization of newly emerging avian reovirus variants and novel strains in Pennsylvania, USA, 2011-2014

Sci Rep. 2015 Oct 15:5:14727. doi: 10.1038/srep14727.

Abstract

Avian reovirus (ARV) infections of broiler and turkey flocks have caused significant clinical disease and economic losses in Pennsylvania (PA) since 2011. Most of the ARV-infected birds suffered from severe arthritis, tenosynovitis, pericarditis and depressed growth or runting-stunting syndrome (RSS). A high morbidity (up to 20% to 40%) was observed in ARV-affected flocks, and the flock mortality was occasionally as high as 10%. ARV infections in turkeys were diagnosed for the first time in PA in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, a total of 301 ARV isolations were made from affected PA poultry. The molecular characterization of the Sigma C gene of 114 field isolates, representing most ARV outbreaks, revealed that only 21.93% of the 114 sequenced ARV isolates were in the same genotyping cluster (cluster 1) as the ARV vaccine strains (S1133, 1733, and 2048), whereas 78.07% of the sequenced isolates were in genotyping clusters 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (which were distinct from the vaccine strains) and represented newly emerging ARV variants. In particular, genotyping cluster 6 was a new ARV genotype that was identified for the first time in 10 novel PA ARV variants of field isolates.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chickens
  • Genes, Viral
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Genotype
  • History, 21st Century
  • Orthoreovirus, Avian / classification*
  • Orthoreovirus, Avian / genetics*
  • Orthoreovirus, Avian / isolation & purification
  • Pennsylvania / epidemiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Poultry Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Poultry Diseases / virology*
  • Reoviridae Infections / epidemiology*
  • Reoviridae Infections / history
  • Reoviridae Infections / virology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Turkeys