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Title: GENETIC ANALYSIS OF VESICULAR STOMATITIS VIRUSES FROM THE 2004-2005 U.S. OUTBREAK

Author
item Pauszek, Steven
item RAINWATER, KAITLIN - ORISE, ARS FELLOW
item Rodriguez, Luis

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2006
Publication Date: 7/15/2006
Citation: Pauszek, S.J., Rainwater, K., Rodriguez, L.L. 2006. Genetic analysis of Genetic Analysis of Vesicular Stomatitis Viruses from the 2004-2005 U.S. outbreak. American Society for Virology Annual Meeting. P. 166, 35-4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an economically important virus affecting livestock throughout the Americas. VSV is classified into two major serotypes, Indiana (VSIV) and New Jersey (VSNJV), with the New Jersey serotype causing the vast majority of clinical cases. VSIV and VSNJV are endemic in southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Sporadic outbreaks have occurred in the southwest U.S. approximately every ten years with the most recent outbreak caused by a VSNJV isolate spreading through nine U.S. states since 2004. Based on phosphoprotein hypervariable sequences, we present the phylogenetic relationship of the current U.S. isolates along with samples obtained throughout Mexico in recent years. The outbreak isolates form a lineage distinct from previously sequenced U.S. viruses. Notably, three isolates from different states in Mexico collected months before the index case of 2004 possessed the identical sequence to the index virus. This pattern of viral occurrence is in contrast to those observed in endemic areas where genetic lineages are maintained over long periods of time. Additionally, the full-length sequence of the 2004 outbreak virus was compared with previous U.S. isolates and six additional VSNJV isolates from diverse phylogenetic and geographic locations. Genome organization and sequence of intergenic regions were conserved in all of viruses, except for the G-L junction that showed sequence and length variation as previously described for the VSNJV-Ogden strain. This work further supports the hypothesis that VS outbreaks in southwestern US are single introduction events from endemic areas, likely located in central and southern Mexico.