Confirmation of Elsey virus infection in a Queensland horse with mild neurologic signs

J Vet Diagn Invest. 2016 Jul;28(4):445-8. doi: 10.1177/1040638716652652. Epub 2016 May 30.

Abstract

In 2011, a 2-year-old horse in northern Queensland, Australia, was reported to have developed mild neurologic signs, and a blood sample was submitted for laboratory investigation. Virus isolation was performed using the blood sample, and an orbivirus was isolated. This was confirmed to be a strain of Elsey virus (ELSV) after transmission electron microscopy and nucleotide sequencing. The nucleotide sequence was compared with those in GenBank, and had 100% identity with ELSV previously reported from the Northern Territory, Australia. ELSV is taxonomically closely related to Peruvian horse sickness virus.

Keywords: Australia; Elsey virus, Orbivirus; Peruvian horse sickness virus.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Horse Diseases / virology
  • Horses
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / veterinary
  • Orbivirus / genetics
  • Orbivirus / isolation & purification*
  • Phylogeny
  • Queensland
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reoviridae Infections / diagnosis
  • Reoviridae Infections / veterinary*
  • Reoviridae Infections / virology
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA / veterinary

Substances

  • RNA, Viral