Vet. Res. 34 (2003) 777-789
DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2003036

Comparison of genome segments 2, 7 and 10 of bluetongue viruses serotype 2 for differentiation between field isolates and the vaccine strain

Emmanuel Bréard^a, Corinne Sailleau^a, Hervé Coupier^b, Karine Mure-Ravaud^b, Saliha Hammoumi^a, Bernard Gicquel^a, Chris Hamblin^c, Philippe Dubourget^b and Stéphan Zientara<sup>a

a</sup>  UMR 1161 AFSSA-INRA-ENVA, Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments - Alfort, 22 rue Pierre Curie, 94703 Maisons-Alfort, France
^b  MERIAL Grande Prophylaxis Enterprise, 29 avenue Tony Garnier, 69007 Lyon, France
^c  Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 ONF, UK

(Received 13 February 2003; accepted 23 May 2003)

Abstract
Bluetongue (BT) virus serotype 2 (BTV 2) was first confirmed in Tunisia in February 2000 and has since spread northward and westward, infecting several other countries and islands, including Corsica, where clinical disease was reported in October 2000. BT was again reported on the Island in July 2001, some six months after a vaccination campaign against BTV 2. The molecular relationship between isolates of the BTV 2 Corsican wild-type viruses from 2000 and 2001, and the attenuated BTV 2 vaccine were determined by comparing corresponding sequences of genome segments 2, 7 and 10 with each other and with already published sequences available in the genome database. Complete genetic stability was observed between the isolates of the Corsican BTV 2. There was some divergence between the nucleotide sequences of segment 10 obtained from the wild-type and vaccine virus strains. Based on these differences, primers were selected that could be used in RT-PCR to differentiate between the wild-type and the vaccine viruses.

Key words: Bluetongue virus serotype 2 / vaccine / genome / RT-PCR

Correspondence and reprints: Emmanuel Bréard e.breard@afssa.fr

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2003