Clinical and molecular identification study of ovine respiratory syncytial virus in sheep, Iraq

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this study is to use polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and sequencing to assess ovine respiratory syncytial virus (ORSV) infection in Awassi sheep in the middle and south of Iraq (Najaf, Babylon, Wassit, and Dhi-Qar), followed by phylogenetic analyses. Methods: From December 2020 to November 2021, a total of 205 nasal swab samples were taken from sheep of various ages and health situations in Najaf, Babylon, Wassit, and Dhi-Qar, Iraq. During the study, the clinical examinations, and vital clinical signs of disease were recorded. RT-qPCR was used to detect nonstructural protein one (NS1) of ORSV, while nested RT-PCR was used to amplify the NS1 protein gene for sequencing, ORSV's NS1 gene (306-bp). PCR products were sequenced, and MEGA 6 analytic software was utilized. The quantitative findings were given as the mean standard error of the mean, the chi-square test (X2), and T test were used to determine the significance of the observed variations. Results: A total of 205 nasal swabs were taken from Awassi sheep and ORSV had a molecular prevalence of 23.41 % in sheep.