Circulation of multiple subtypes of bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 1 with no evidence for HoBi-like pestivirus in cattle herds of southern Italy.

Pestiviruses of cattle include bovine viral diarrhoea 1 (BVDV-1) and 2 (BVDV-2) plus an emerging group, named HoBi-like pestivirus. In the present paper, the results of an epidemiological survey for pestiviruses circulating in cattle in southern Italy are presented. Molecular assays carried out on a total of 924 bovine samples detected 74 BVDV strains, including 73 BVDV-1 and 1 BVDV-2 viruses. Phylogenetic analysis carried out on partial 5'UTR and Npro sequences revealed the presence of 6 different subtypes of BVDV-1 and a single BVDV-2c strain. BVDV-1 displayed a high level of genetic heterogeneity, which can have both prophylactic and diagnostic implications. In addition, the detection of BVDV-2c highlights the need for a continuous surveillance for the emergence of new pestivirus strains in cattle farms in southern Italy.

Goats are susceptible to Bubaline alphaherpesvirus 1 infection: Results of an experimental study.

Herpesvirus infections are generally subjected to strong host species restriction, although virological and serological investigations have revealed the possibility of cross-species infections in closely related animal species. In this study we evaluated susceptibility of goats to infection by Bubaline alphaherpesvirus 1 (BuHV-1). Four goats were inoculated intra-nasally with BuHV-1 and monitored clinically, virologically and serologically for 42days. None of the goats displayed clinical signs although all the animals variably shed the virus by the nasal route during the first 12days after infection. BuHV-1 was also detected in the white blood cells of two animals in the first week post infection. The results suggest that goats are susceptible to BuHV-1 infection and that they could play an epidemiological role in the circulation/transmission of the virus among domestic and wild ruminants and impact to some extent on the control plans for herpesviruses in cattle.

Evidence for Circulation of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus Type 2c in Ruminants in Southern Italy.

Recently, bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 2c (BVDV-2c) was responsible for a severe outbreak in cattle in northern Europe. Here, we present the results of an epidemiological survey for pestiviruses in ruminants in southern Italy. Pooled serum samples were obtained from 997 bovine, 800 ovine, 431 caprine and eight bubaline farms, and pestiviral RNA was detected by molecular methods in 44 farms consisting of 16 cattle and one buffalo herds and of 21 sheep and six goat flocks. Twenty-nine and 15 farms were infected by BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 strains, respectively. BVDV-1 strains were recovered mainly from cattle and were heterogeneous, belonging to the subtypes 1b, 1u, 1e, 1g and 1h. In contrast, all BVDV-2 viruses but two were detected in sheep or goats and were characterized as BVDV-2c by sequence analysis of 5'UTR. These strains displayed high genetic identity to BVDV-2c circulating in cattle in northern Europe and were more distantly related to a BVDV-2c isolate recovered from a cattle herd in southern Italy more than 10 years before. The circulation of a BVDV-2c in small ruminants suggests the need for a continuous surveillance for the emergence of pestivirus-induced clinical signs in southern Italian farms.

HoBi-Like Pestivirus and Its Impact on Cattle Productivity.

The clinical features and economic impact of the infection caused by an emerging group of pestiviruses, namely HoBi-like pestivirus, in a cattle herd of southern Italy are reported. In 2011, the virus was first associated with respiratory disease, causing an abortion storm after 1 year and apparently disappearing for the following 3 years after persistently infected calves were slaughtered. However, in 2014, reproductive failures and acute gastroenteritis were observed in the same herd, leading to a marked decrease of productivity. A HoBi-like strain closely related to that responsible for previous outbreaks was detected in several animals. Application of an intensive eradication programme, based on the detection and slaughtering of HoBi-like pestivirus persistently infected animals, resulted in a marked improvement of the productive performances.

Enteric disease in dogs naturally infected by a novel canine astrovirus.

Infection by a novel canine astrovirus was associated with gastroenteritis in two dogs. The virus displayed 70.3 to 73.9% amino acid identity to other canine astroviruses in the full-length capsid. Specific antibodies were detected in the convalescent-phase sera of the dogs, indicating seroconversion. Also, the virus appeared weakly related antigenically to the prototype canine astrovirus isolate ITA/2008/Bari.