Phylogenetic Analysis of ORF Viruses From Five Contagious Ecthyma Outbreaks in Argentinian Goats.

Andrea Peralta,Carlos E Rossanigo,Juan F Micheluod,Agustín Martinez,Agustín Carosio,Carlos A Robles,Guido A König

doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00134

Abstract

Orf virus (ORFV) is the etiological agent of Contagious Ecthyma (CE) disease that mainly affects sheep, goats, wild ruminants, and humans with a worldwide distribution. To date, only two strains from Argentinian sheep have been characterized at the molecular level and there is little information on ORFV strains circulating in Argentina. Here we describe and analyze five outbreaks of CE in goats in three geographic regions of the country: Northwest, Center, and Southwest. The phylogenetic analysis based on four molecular markers of ORFV (orf011 partial sequence and orf020, orf109, and orf127 complete sequence genes) revealed that there are different strains circulating in Argentina and pointed out the importance of knowing the health status of animals traded between farms.

Highlights

Contagious Ecthyma (CE) is a viral skin disease that mainly affects sheep and goats, but can affect other ruminants and wild animals [1,2,3,4]
The second case was caused by a group of asymptomatic Creole goats from Neuquén province that entered in contact with an Angora goat flock in Comallo Town (Río Negro province) in September 2014
This study presents the first molecular characterization of five CE outbreaks in goats from Argentina

Summary

Introduction

Contagious Ecthyma (CE) is a viral skin disease (contagious pustular dermatitis) that mainly affects sheep and goats, but can affect other ruminants and wild animals [1,2,3,4]. CE is caused by the Orf virus (ORFV), an epitheliotropic virus that commonly produces lesions on the lips, oral and nasal mucosa, skin, and udders [1]. These lesions evolve through different stages such as erythema, macules, vesicles, pustules, and proliferative scabs [7]. The virus is extremely resistant to desiccation and can remain for many years in dry crusts of animals that suffered the disease

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