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Home / Equine Research Bank / Pathogens / Identical Viral Genetic Sequence Found in Black Flies (Simul...
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)2021; 10(8); doi: 10.3390/pathogens10080929

Identical Viral Genetic Sequence Found in Black Flies (Simulium bivittatum) and the Equine Index Case of the 2006 U.S. Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak.

Abstract: In 2006, vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV) caused outbreaks in Wyoming (WY) horses and cattle after overwintering in 2004 and 2005. Within two weeks of the outbreak onset, 12,203 biting flies and 194 grasshoppers were collected near three equine-positive premises in Natrona County, WY. Insects were identified to the species level and tested by RT-qPCR for VSNJV polymerase (L) and phosphoprotein (P) gene RNA. Collected dipterans known to be competent for VSV transmission included Simulium black flies and Culicoides biting midges. VSNJV L and P RNA was detected in two pools of female Simulium bivittatum and subjected to partial genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis based on the hypervariable region of the P gene from black flies showed 100% identity to the isolate obtained from the index horse case on the same premises. This is the first report of VSNJV in S. bivittatum in WY and the first field evidence of possible VSV maintenance in black fly populations during an outbreak.
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Publication Date: 2021-07-23 PubMed ID: 34451394PubMed Central: PMC8398051DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10080929Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research paper presents the first evidence that the virus causing 2006’s outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (an animal disease resulting in blister-like sores) in Wyoming, USA, may have been maintained within black fly populations. Through genetic comparison, the virus found in black flies and the initial detected case in a horse were found to be identical.

Research Context

  • The study took place in the aftermath of a 2006 outbreak of a specific strain of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSNJV) in Wyoming, USA.
  • The disease had affected horses and cattle in the region, following two years of the virus lying dormant over winters.

Initial Data Collection

  • To investigate the potential sources of the virus, over 12,000 biting flies and almost 200 grasshoppers were collected near three premises where the disease had been found in horses.
  • The collected insects were all identified to the species level.

Virus Identification in Insects

  • The insects were tested for the presence of the VSNJV virus using a technique called Reverse Transcription quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR).
  • This technique allows the detection and quantification of the virus’s gene RNA.
  • Viruses were found in pools of female black flies (Simulium bivittatum) and biting midges, both of which are known to be capable of transmitting the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV).

Genetic Sequencing and Comparison

  • Partial genome sequencing was conducted on the viruses found in the black flies.
  • A phylogenetic analysis, which examines the evolutionary relationship, was used to compare the hypervariable region of the virus’s phosphoprotein gene found in black flies with the one isolated from the initial horse affected.
  • The analysis yielded a 100% match, implying that the virus found in the black flies was identical to that in the initial horse case.

Significance of the Study

  • This study presents the first field evidence of black flies maintaining the vesicular stomatitis virus, contributing to an understanding of its transmission dynamics.
  • This finding is critical, as it suggests black flies could play a significant role in the spread of VSNJV in the field.
  • It also represents the first report of VSNJV being found in black flies in Wyoming, broadening our geographical knowledge of hosts for this virus.

Cite This Article

APA
Drolet BS, Reeves WK, Bennett KE, Pauszek SJ, Bertram MR, Rodriguez LL. (2021). Identical Viral Genetic Sequence Found in Black Flies (Simulium bivittatum) and the Equine Index Case of the 2006 U.S. Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak. Pathogens, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10080929

Publication

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 2076-0817
NlmUniqueID: 101596317
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 8

Researcher Affiliations

Drolet, Barbara S
  • Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Agricultural Research Service, Unites States Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA.
Reeves, Will K
  • Biological Regulatory Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
Bennett, Kristine E
  • Energy Institute, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Pauszek, Steven J
  • Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Orient Point, NY 11957, USA.
Bertram, Miranda R
  • Foreign Animal Disease Research Unit, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Unites States Department of Agriculture, Orient Point, NY 11957, USA.
Rodriguez, Luis L
  • Foreign Animal Disease Research Unit, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Unites States Department of Agriculture, Orient Point, NY 11957, USA.

Grant Funding

  • 3020-32000-013-00D and 8064-32000-058-00D / U.S. Department of Agriculture

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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