Abstract
Serotype O is the most prevalent of the seven serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus and occurs in many parts of the world. The UPGMA method was used to construct a phylogenetic tree based on nucleotide sequences at the 3' end of the VP1 gene from 105 FMD type O viruses obtained from samples submitted to the OIE/FAO World Reference Laboratory for FMD. This analysis identified eight major genotypes when a value of 15% nucleotide difference was used as a cut-off. The validity of these groupings was tested on the complete VP1 gene sequences of 23 of these viruses by bootstrap resampling and construction of a neighbour-joining tree. These eight genetic lineages fell within geographical boundaries and we have used the term topotype to describe them. Using a large sequence database, the distribution of viruses belonging to each of the eight topotypes has been determined. These phylogenetically based epidemiological studies have also been used to identify viruses that have transgressed their normal ecological niches. Despite the high rate of mutation during replication of the FMD virus genome, the topotypes appear to represent evolutionary cul-de-sacs.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.