Detection of genotype 1 bovine leukemia virus from a C.schultzei pool: Do Culicoides spp. have a role on the transmission of bovine leukemia virus?

Dogan F., BİLGE DAĞALP S., DİK B., Farzani T. A., ALKAN F.

INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION, cilt.85, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 85
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104469
  • Dergi Adı: INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: BLV infection, Cattle, Turkey, Culicoides, HORIZONTAL TRANSMISSION, HORN FLIES, NATURAL TRANSMISSION, DAIRY CALVES, CATTLE, LEUKOSIS, SEROPREVALENCE, INFECTION, BLV, PREVALENCE
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is known as the etiological agent of Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), which is the most common neoplastic disease of cattle. While the major route of virus transmission is believed to be iatrogenic, BLV proviral DNA has been identified in biological materials, including nasal secretions, saliva, milk, colostrum, and semen, and in several insect species, including horses flies. However, insects' role in the natural transmission of BLV has not been clearly demonstrated. This study assessed the possible role of midges - Culicoides spp. - in BLV transmission. BLVs were genetically characterized and BLV infection seroprevelance was determined in 224 cattle sampled from 27 different small family herds in five different districts in Hatay province, southern Turkey. Out of the 25 Culicoides spp. pools, one (4.0%; 1/25) was a C.schultzei pool while 2.67% (6/224) of the sampled cattle were positive for BLV nucleic acid. The seroprevalance rates for the sampled herds and all sampled cattle were 7.40% (2/27) and 1.33% (3/224), respectively. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the sequences of the BLVs from the cattle (n = 6) and the one BLV-positive C.schultzei pool clustered on genotype 1 (G1) BLVs. Although these results do not reveal the exact role of Culicoides spp. or other midges flies in BLV transmission, the simultaneous presence of same substitions in BLVs from both cattle and a C.schultzei pool is noteworthy. Further studies on the env gene and other BLV gene regions detected from cattle and C.schultzei pools are ongoing to understand the possible epidemiological relationship between cattle and flies.