Isolation of alphaherpesvirus from argentinean water buffaloes

MAIDANA SILVINA; KONRAD JOSÉ; CRUDELI GUSTAVO; THIRY ETIENNE

Zurich

Simposio; 4th ESVV Veterinary Herpesvirus Symposium; 2013

BoHV-1 is distributed worldwide and is endemic in Argentina, where it is responsible for important economic losses due to the decreased production. The seroprevalence rates averaged 60% of cattle (between 24.8 and 84.1% by region and animal ages). However few are known about the prevalence and circulation of herpesviruses in other ruminant species. Water buffalo breeding represents an important economic alternative in Argentina, which allows access to national and international markets. Within this framework, the study of viral agents present in buffalos becomes relevant. We proposed to analyze the circulating of field isolates of herpesvirus from bubaline herds in Argentina. Our previous results showed herpesvirus seroprevalencein herds ofbuffaloes of 34% in our country with this evidence we decided to expand the sampling of nasal and genital secretions to detect the viral agent. Nasal and genital swabs buffalos without symptoms were evaluated. The viruses were isolated from two different farm in northeast of Argentina. The isolates were amplified in MDBK cell culture and characterized by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) with three different enzymes (BstEII, BamHI and HindIII). After viral DNA was extracted was digested with the enzymes then run on a 0.7% agarose gel; stained with ethidium bromide and the banding pattern was observed with UV light. The monoclonal anti herpesvirus bovine was able to detect the cells infected with these viruses by IFA. The isolates showed a different restriction profile between them with all enzymes analyzed. On the other hand one of them showed a similar profile to the reference strain of buffalo herpesvirus (B6) with three enzymes and the other isolateshowed a different pattern of buffalo strainbut similar to bovine herpesvirus 5. In the present study we report the first isolates of herpesvirus from Argentinean buffaloes. These data constitute a contribution to the characterization of alphaherpesvirus strains circulating in Argentina.