İbrahim Burgu

Prevalence, Distribution, and Host Range of Peste des petits ruminants virus, Turkey

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV, genus Morbillivirus), which causes a severe disease in sheep and goats, has only recently been officially declared to be present in Turkey. We carried out a study to determine the prevalence, distribution, and host range of PPRV in Turkey. A total of 1,607 animals, reared in 18 different locations, were monitored for the presence of antibodies to PPRV and the related virus of large ruminants, Rinderpest virus (RPV). Only two farms had animals that were free of antibody responses to either disease. Prevalence for PPRV infection varied (range 0.87%–82.6%) and was higher in sheep (29.2%) than in goats (20%). The overall antibody responses to PPRV and RPV were 22.4% and 6.28%, respectively. Two PPRVs of lineage 4, which comprises many other PPRVs whose origins are in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Asia, were isolated from Turkish sheep.

Distribution of G (VP7) and P (VP4) genotypes of group A bovine rotaviruses from Turkish calves with diarrhea, 1997-2008.

Group A rotaviruses are major enteric pathogens of calves. In order to investigate the genetic diversity of bovine rotaviruses (BRVs), a collection of 53 BRVs, detected from diarrheic calves from several Turkish geographical areas, between 1997 and 2008 was analyzed by RT-PCR for specificities of the outer capsid proteins VP7 (G type) and VP4 (P type), for the first time. Overall, G6 was the predominant G type, detected in 40/53 samples (75.4%), while P[11] was the predominant P type, detected in 52/53 samples (98.1%). The most common VP7/VP4 combinations were G6P[11] (60.3%) and G10P[11] (24.5%). Mixed infections were identified in 7/53 samples (13.2%). In the VP7 region the G6P[11] viruses were similar to other ones detected worldwide, forming an independent G6 lineage, distantly related to the G6 gene of the vaccine G6P[1] strain NCDV (90.1% amino acid identity), and suggesting that G6P[11] viruses represent a genetically stable BRV strain. The study of G and P type diversity is pivotal to understand the efficacy of the existing rotavirus vaccines and to provide the basis of future prophylaxis tools against rotaviral diarrhea of calves.

Molecular characterization of Bovine virus diarrhea viruses species 2 (BVDV-2) from cattle in Turkey

Five BVDV species 2 (BVDV-2) isolates were detected from cattle in Turkey. Phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) and E2 coding gene regions, respectively. The isolates were closely related to BVDV-2a strains from North America and Canada used as references. This is the first report of the detection of BVDV-2 in naturally infected Turkish cattle. It is important to consider BVDV-2 for planning future BVDV control and vaccination programs in Turkey.

Maturation of Immunoglobulin G Avidity after Inactive gE Deleted Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 (BHV-1) Marker Vaccination

Particularly for countries in which the prevalence of infection is high, prevention and control of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) can be done by vaccination programs. Recently, marker vaccines have been used in the control and eradication of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) infection. Vaccine protection and virus circulation were estimated by individual serological testing using both gB- and gE-ELISA blocking tests. However, the efficacy of vaccines in terms of avidity maturation for BHV-1 infection has not yet been clarified. A total of 40 animals divided into two groups were vaccinated twice at 6-mo intervals with either commercial or in-house killed gE-deleted marker BHV-1 vaccines, respectively. Immunoglobulin G avidity maturation for BHV-1 was monitored in serum samples collected 1 mo postvaccination and compared between groups. The avidity index (AI) was expressed as a percentage and results were presented as mean AI + SD. The overall data showed that optical density (OD) values in wells with or without urea treatment had obviously increased. In relation to this, geometric means of AIs increased from 71% to 96% after primary and booster vaccinations, respectively. Based on group-specific data, mean AI was calculated to be 68.99 +/- 24.6 after the primary vaccination, and 96.74 +/- 8.3 after the booster vaccination in group I. For group II, the mean AI for primary vaccination was 57.40 +/- 23.9, and it increased to 97 +/- 8.9 after the booster vaccination. The increase in AI for both groups after the second vaccinations was found to be significant (p < 0.001).

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus antibodies in Turkey

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) virus is an arthropod borne orbivirus related to bluetongue virus. The virus is not reported to cause disease in domestic animals, but often causes a fatal disease in white tailed deer in North America with clinical signs similar to bluetongue in sheep. However, within the EHD virus group of orbiviruses is also Ibaraki disease virus which in cattle causes oedema and haemorrhages of the nasal and oral mucous membranes and lameness. EHD virus has been isolated from Canada, North America, Nigeria and Australia, and Ibaraki disease virus is present in Japan and the Far East. It is likely that these viruses have a far wider distribution which awaits more systematic investigation. Sera were collected from 12 locations in southern Turkey, from cattle (11 locations) and sheep (4 locations) of mixed ages and breed. Soluble antigen was prepared from EHD 1 virus (New Jersey) and EHD 2 virus (Alberta) grown in BHK cells according to the method of LeFevre and Taylor (1983). The agar gel immuno-diffusion (AGID) test was carried out on glass microscope slides using the recommended procedure for bluetongue antibody detection, with a rosette of six wells surrounding a central well (LeFevre and Taylor, 1983). A control type specific positive serum was placed in the first and fourth well of the rosette. Test sera were placed in the remaining four wells and soluble EHD antigen was added to the central well. Each test was repeated using BHK cell antigen in the central well in place of the EHD virus antigen. The results are listed in Table I and indicate a low prevalence of animals with antibody to EHD virus. Taylor and Gumm (1985) showed that there was some cross-activity between antibody to the different serotypes of EHD virus; however, they found no cross-reactivity between the EHD 1 and 2 virus antigens used in this study and antibody to bluetongue virus. They did not consider that the AGID test was a suitable group specific test for EHD virus as it failed to detect antibodies to all EHD serotypes. The use of the two EHD antigens in this study does broaden the spectrum of cross-reactivity, but if neither E HD 1 or 2 viruses are responsible for the detected antibodies, the test may only be detecting high levels of heterologous activity and therefore be a considerable underestimation of the prevalence of EHD virus in southern Turkey. It is known that there are at least eight serotypes of EHD virus, three of Ibaraki disease virus and a number of other closely related viruses within the EHD group which cross-react to a variable degree on the AGID test. It is probable that these EHD virus antibodies detected in Turkey indicate the presence of an additional serotype. This cannot be established until the virus causing these antibodies has been isolated. Ibaraki disease and EHD have not been reported in Turkey but bluetongue virus is widely distributed in southern Turkey and the Middle East (Taylor, Sellers, Gumm, Herniman and Owen, 1985). Like bluetongue, E HD virus is transmitted by Culicoides midges, and the demonstration in this paper of

The detection and genetic characterization based on the S1 gene region of BCoVs from respiratory and enteric infections in Turkey.

Summary We investigated bovine coronavirus (BCoV) as an etiological agent in cattle with clinical respiratory and digestive signs using 147 feces and 199 nasal swab samples. A total of 18 test samples (16 feces and 2 nasal swap samples) were detected positive by ELISA and/or RT‐PCR targeting the BCoV N gene. The partial S1 gene regions of BCoVs (An‐4 and An‐11) detected in feces samples from two herd‐mate dairy calves were compared. Virological and serological results indicated that BCoVs are widespread in Turkey and are likely etiological agents in diarrhea cases in calves.

Development of multiplex RT-PCR for detection and differentiationof foot-and-mouth disease virus O and A serotypes in Turkey

* Correspondence: beyhan.sar@gmail.com

Koyunlarda doğum öncesi ve sonrası dönemlerde bovine viral

Dokuz farkli kamu isletmesinde 3 yil sure ile yurutulen bu calismada, koyunlarda transplasental pestivirus enfeksiyonlarininsonuclari ve patogenezi arastirildi. Bu amacla koc katim tarihleri dikkate alinarak, 174 adedi gebeliginin 2-3. aylarinda ve dogumyaptiklari gun, 487 adedi yalnizca dogum yaptiklari gun olmak uzere toplam 661 koyundan ve 29 kocdan kan orneklendi. Ayrica109 adedi ikiz dogum yapan sozkonusu toplam 661 koyunun dogurdugu 770 kuzudan da prekolostral kan ornegi saglandi.Kan orneklerinin pestivirus antijeni yonunden kontrolu sonucunda, materyal saglanan koyunlarda persiste pestivirus enfeksiyonusaptanmadi. Buna karsin kuzularin prekolostral kan orneklerinde antikor tespitine dayanilarak, gebeligin gec doneminde olusantransplasental enfeksiyonlar belirlendi.