Novel Serotype of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, China
Heng Yang, Zhuoran Li, Jinping Wang, Li ZhanHong, Zhenxing Yang, Defang Liao, Jianbo Zhu, Huachun Li
Abstract
E pizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV; family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus) is transmitted between ruminants by Culicoides spp. biting midges. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions and primarily infects white-tailed deer and cattle (1); EHDV infection often causes death in white-tailed deer. Seven serotypes of EHDV (EHDV-1, -2, -4, -5, -6, -7, and -8) have been officially assigned; EHDV-3 (NIG1967/01 strain) has been combined into EHDV-1 (1,2). Recently, 2 novel EHDV strains isolated from South Africa (3) and Japan (4) were suggested as new serotype candidates. Although only Ibaraki virus (a strain of EHDV-2 from Japan) was previously known to cause a bluetongue-like illness in cattle (1), EHDV-1, EHDV-2, EHDV-6, and EHDV-7 have recently been associated with illness and death in cattle in Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, South Africa, North America, and Runion Island (1,5-7), suggesting that the distribution and the pathogenicity associated with EHDV infection are increasing. EHDVs belonging to serotypes 1, 5, 6, and 7, as well as a nontyped serotype, have been isolated from sentinel cattle in southern China (H. Li et al., unpub. data).