Molecular detection and characterization of bovine Astrovirus in centralsouth region of Brazil

Author(s)

Marcelo Candido

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Pirassununga.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT)
• Defense date: 2014-08-25

Examining board members

Ricardo Luiz Moro de Sousa; Adriano de Oliveira Torres Carrasco; Sabrina Ribeiro de Almeida Queiroz

• Advisor: Ricardo Luiz Moro de Sousa

Abstract

Enteric diseases associated with diarrhea, dehydration and weight loss is one of the major problems of cattle worldwide, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality, especially among newborns. In this context, demands for improving the laboratory diagnosis of infectious enteric diseases, became constant, given the economic losses involved. Among the major viral enteropathogens of worldwide distribution and recent history, highlight the bovine astrovirus (BoAstV), whose first mention dates from 1978. Enteric BoAstV induce diarrhea especially among newborns and immunocompromised animals, having a prevalence above 60% in the first 5 weeks of life. Due to lack of data concerning the occurrence of this virus in Brazil, the present study was aimed at molecular detection and characterization of BoAstV strains in fecal samples from cattle with and without diarrhea of different ages. The study was conducted on 272 animals from different states of Brazil, obtaining positivity of 14.3% by RT-PCR, and 11 samples from the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul were subjected to nucleotide sequencing. The similarity between the deduced amino acid sequences of the samples was greater than 86.8% when compared with each other and was between 86.2 to 94.8% compared with sequences of other BoAstV described. In phylogenetic reconstructions, 9 samples were grouped together in a separate clade from other BoAstV, a sample (BoAstV-155-BRA) formed a paraphyletic branch to a clade that groups both other BoAstV and deer astrovirus and the remaining sample (267-BRA-BoAstV ) formed a basal branch to bovine and porcine astrovirus. However, the positioning of the two different samples (BoAstV-155-BRA and BoAstV-267-BRA) did not derive from episodes of positive selection or recombination. In summary, the results indicate, in an unprecedented manner, the circulation of enteric BoAstV variants in herds of cattle form states of the south-central region of Brazil. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/18441-0 - Molecular detection and characterization of Astrovirus in cattle from the northeastern region of Sao Paulo State and southwestern region of Minas Gerais State
• Grantee: Marcelo Candido
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master