Preliminary molecular characterization of a fowl poxvirus isolate in Grenada.

Two 1-mo-old local breed chickens, with gross lesions in the skin of the head region suspected to be fowl poxvirus infection, were submitted to the Diagnostic Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. Cutaneous lesions were collected from these birds for virus isolation, histopathologic diagnosis, and molecular analysis. Fowl poxvirus infection was confirmed by virus isolation in chicken embryo and by histopathology.

Complete nucleotide sequence analysis of a vaccine strain and a field isolate of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia1 with an insertion in VP1 genomic region.

Complete nucleotide sequences except the poly (C) tract and poly (A) tail of a vaccine strain (IND 491/97) and an atypical field isolate (IND 321/01) of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype Asia1 are described. Amino acid (aa) sequence analysis of the VP1 protein of the field isolate revealed that the latter has 212 instead of 210 or 211 aa found in the so far available sequences of other FMDV isolates of Asia1 serotype. The insertion was localized in the hypervariable region of aa 130-160 of VP1 protein.

Sequence variability in the structural protein-encoding region of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia1 field isolates.

A total of 30 field isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype Asia1 belonging to two different lineages and five isolates belonging to a divergent group as delineated earlier in 1D (encodingVP1 protein) gene-based phylogeny were sequenced in the structural protein (P1) coding region. Phylogenetic comparison of these isolates along with some of the published exotic sequences revealed the presence of five different lineages around the world. Similar grouping pattern was observed for the P1 region and 1D gene-based phylogeny, where the Indian isolates were clustered in two genetic lineages.

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the L and VP1 genes of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia1.

Most of the molecular epidemiological studies of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) are based on comparison of VP1 gene sequence. In this report, we determine the nucleotide (nt) sequence of the L (603 nt) and VP1 (633 nt) genes of 27 FMDV serotype Asia 1 isolates recovered from different outbreaks in India, and compared with each other and the vaccine strain, IND 63/72, used in the country. Independent phylogenetic analyses on both the aligned gene sequences identified two major lineages (designated A & B) in the Asia 1 isolates.