Using metagenomic analysis, we identified a novel picornavirus in young preweaned lambs with neurologic signs associated with severe nonsuppurative encephalitis and sensory ganglionitis in 2016 and 2017 in the United Kingdom. In situ hybridization demonstrated intralesional neuronotropism of this virus, which was also detected in archived samples of similarly affected lambs (1998-2014).
Keywords: England; Scotland; United Kingdom; Wales; disease; encephalitis; encephalomyelitis; lambs; neurologic; novel; ovine picornavirus; sheep; viruses.