Complete Genome Sequences of Two Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 5 Subtype C Strains from Southeast Brazil.

Bovine alphaherpesvirus 5 causes meningoencephalitis in cattle, belongs to the Herpesviridae family, and can be divided into subtypes a, b, and c. Limited information is available about subtype c. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two strains, P160/96, and ISO97/45, isolated from cattle in southeast Brazil.

Virome Characterization in Commercial Bovine Serum Batches-A Potentially Needed Testing Strategy for Biological Products.

Bovine serum has been widely used as a universal supplement in culture media and other applications, including the manufacture of biological products and the production of synthetic meat. Currently, commercial bovine serum is tested for possible viral contaminants following regional guidelines. Regulatory agencies' established tests focused on detecting selected animal origin viruses and are based on virus isolation, immunofluorescence, and hemadsorption assays. However, these tests may fail to detect new or emerging viruses in biological products. High-throughput sequencing is a powerful option since no prior knowledge of the viral targets is required. In the present study, we evaluate the virome of seven commercial batches of bovine serum from Mexico (one batch), New Zealand (two batches), and the United States (four batches) using a specific preparation and enrichment method for pooled samples and sequencing using an Illumina platform. A variety of circular replicase-encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA families (Genomoviridae, Circoviridae, and Smacoviridae) was identified. Additionally, CrAssphage, a recently discovered group of bacteriophage correlated with fecal contamination, was identified in 85% of the tested batches. Furthermore, sequences representing viral families with single-stranded DNA (Parvoviridae), double-stranded DNA (Polyomaviridae and Adenoviridae), single-stranded RNA (Flaviviridae, Picornaviridae, and Retroviridae), and double-stranded RNA (Reoviridae) were identified. These results support that high-throughput sequencing associated with viral enrichment is a robust tool and should be considered an additional layer of safety when testing pooled biologicals to detect viral contaminants overlooked by the current testing protocols.

Identification and genetic characterization of an isolate of bovine adenovirus 7 from the United States, a putative member of a new species in the genus Atadenovirus.

The bovine adenovirus 7 (BAdV-7) isolate SD18-74 was recovered from lung tissue of calves in South Dakota. The 30,043-nucleotide (nt) genome has the typical organization of Atadenovirus genus members. The sequence shares over 99% nt sequence identity with two Japanese BAdV-7 sequences, followed by 74.9% nt sequence identity with the ovine adenovirus 7 strain OAV287, a member of the species Ovine atadenovirus D. SD18-74 was amplified in both bovine and ovine primary nasal turbinate cells, demonstrating greater fitness in bovine cells. The genomic and biological characteristics of BAdV-7 SD18-74 support the inclusion of the members of the BAdV-7 group in a new species in the genus Atadenovirus.

Virome characterization in serum of healthy show pigs raised in Oklahoma demonstrated great diversity of ssDNA viruses.

In the United States, show pigs are raised to compete in agricultural events. These animals are usually raised in small herds with extensive human, domestic, and wild animal contact. Therefore, pathogen monitoring in this animal category is critical for improved disease surveillance and preparedness. This study characterized the virome of healthy show pigs using high-throughput sequencing using pooled serum samples from 2018 or 2019 (200 samples each pool). Results demonstrated the presence of DNA viral families (Parvoviridae, Circoviridae, and Herpesviridae) and RNA families (Arteriviridae, Flaviviridae, and Retroviridae). Twenty-three viral species were identified, including the first detection of porcine bufavirus in the US. Moreover, important swine pathogens identified included porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, atypical porcine pestivirus, and porcine circovirus (PCV). Additionally, complete coding genomes of 17 viruses from the Parvoviridae, Anelloviridae, and Circoviridae families were retrieved and included the first near full-length genomes of US Ungulate bocaparvovirus 3 species.

Survey for pestiviruses in backyard pigs in southern Brazil.

The Pestivirus genus comprises species that affect animal health and productivity worldwide. Members of the Suidae family are hosts for classical swine fever virus (CSFV), an important pathogen tracked by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). However, swine are also susceptible to other pestivirus species that can result in disease or compromise CSFV detection. We searched for pestivirus infection in swine sera collected from 320 backyard pig herds in southern Brazil. We used reverse-transcription PCR primers for Bungowannah virus; atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV); and a panpestivirus pair that detects bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)-1, -2, and HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV), border disease virus (BDV), and CSFV. Two samples were positive using the panpestivirus primer pair and were classified as BVDV-1d and -2a, respectively. Serum samples were tested for virus neutralization against BVDV-1a, -1b, and -2 strains, resulting in 28 (4.4%) positive samples. Of those, 16 samples had the highest titers against BVDV-1a (2), BVDV-1b (5), and BVDV-2 (9). Our results indicate that Bungowannah virus, APPV, CSFV, BDV, and HoBiPeV have not been circulating in these specific backyard swine populations. However, ruminant pestiviruses were detected and must be considered in future pestivirus control programs conducted in Brazil.