Abstract
Rotavirus-associated enteritis has been reported in pheasants, but there is no information on the genetic/antigenic features of pheasant rotaviruses. In this study, we sequenced the VP7-encoding genome segment of three pheasant rotavirus strains detected during 2008 in Hungary. The full-length genome segment was 1,070 bp long, while the open reading frame was predicted to encode a 330-aa-long protein. The nucleotide sequence identities among the three pheasant rotavirus strains were high (≥94%), whereas the range of nucleotide sequence identities to other avian and mammalian rotavirus VP7 genes fell between 68 and 73% and between 60 and 66%, respectively. Our findings indicate that these Hungarian pheasant rotaviruses need to be considered representatives of a new VP7 genotype specificity, designated G23.
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Acknowledgments
VP6-gene-specific primers were designed by Zsuzsa Egyed. The scientific discussion with members of the Rotavirus Classification Working Group is acknowledged. The study was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA, PD76364). K. Ursu and K. Bányai are recipients of the Bolyai scholarship awarded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
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Ursu, K., Kisfali, P., Rigó, D. et al. Molecular analysis of the VP7 gene of pheasant rotaviruses identifies a new genotype, designated G23. Arch Virol 154, 1365–1369 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-009-0439-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-009-0439-0