Abstract
Arthropod-borne Batai virus (BATV) is an Orthobunyavirus widely distributed throughout European livestock and has, in the past, been linked to febrile diseases in humans. In Germany, BATV was found in mosquitoes and in one captive harbor seal, and antibodies were recently detected in various ruminant species. We have, therefore, conducted a follow-up study in ruminants from Saxony-Anhalt, the most affected region in Eastern Germany. A total of 325 blood samples from apparently healthy sheep, goats, and cattle were tested using a BATV-specific qRT-PCR and SNT. Even though viral RNA was not detected, the presence of antibodies was confirmed in the sera of all three species: sheep (16.5%), goats (18.3%), and cattle (41.4%). Sera were further analyzed by a glycoprotein Gc-based indirect ELISA to evaluate Gc-derived antibodies as a basis for a new serological test for BATV infections. Interestingly, the presence of neutralizing antibodies was not directly linked to the presence of BATV Gc antibodies. Overall, our results illustrate the high frequency of BATV infections in ruminants in Eastern Germany.
Highlights
Batai virus (BATV) is one of the most widespread members of the genus Orthobunyavirus within the family Peribunyaviridae
The novel indirect in-house ELISA is based on a partial recombinant BATV glycoprotein Gc which was used for coating immunoplates at a dilution of 2 μg/mL in 0.05 M
A total of 325 ruminants (121 sheep, 60 goats, and 144 cattle) from Saxony-Anhalt in Eastern Germany were tested by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for BATV genomes
Summary
Batai virus (BATV) is one of the most widespread members of the genus Orthobunyavirus within the family Peribunyaviridae. The glycoproteins and the non-structural NSm protein are encoded as a precursor polyprotein that is cotranslationally processed by host proteases to produce the three proteins [3]. ELISA to subsequently screen ruminant sera for Gc-specific antibodies. In Europe, BATV-associated disease has not yet been described in ruminants. The present study was implemented as a follow-up study of the previously mentioned surveys. For this purpose, 325 blood samples from sheep, goats, and cattle were collected in total in Saxony-Anhalt in Eastern Germany, selecting flocks that had shown a high prevalence of BATV in an earlier study [9]. We evaluated an indirect ELISA for the screening of BATV Gc-specific antibodies in ruminants
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