Establishment and Preliminary Application of One-step Reverse Transcriptase Droplet Digital PCR Assay for Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

[Objective]The paper was to establish a one-step reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR(RT-ddPCR)assay for bovine viral diarrhea virus(BVDV).[Method]Based on one-step real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)assay,BVDV-specific primers and probes were designed in this study.The reverse transcriptase,annealing temperature,primer and probe concentrations and reaction conditions of RT-ddPCR assay were optimized.Meantime,the specificity,sensitivity and repeatability of RT-ddPCR assay were evaluated.[Result]The optimal reverse transcription system for the established RT-ddPCR assay was as follows:commercial one-step reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR kit with matching reagents,a final primer concentration of 900 nmol/L,a final probe concentration of 250 nmol/L and an optimal annealing temperature of 57℃.The results were negative when the method was used to detect other common epidemic viruses;the minimum detection limit was 3.2 copies/μL with good repeatability,and the coefficient of variation was less than 5%.RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR assays were used to test 24 bovine swab samples and the test results showed that the established RT-ddPCR assay was superior to RT-qPCR assay.[Conclusion]The RT-ddPCR assay established in this study has strong specificity,high sensitivity and good repeatability,and is suitable for nucleic acid detection of clinical samples.This study provided a technical support for early detection and quantitative diagnosis of BVDV infection.

Development of an One-step Reverse Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

Objective] This study aimed to develop a reverse transcription loop-medi-ated isothermal amplification （RT-LAMP） method for detecting BVDV. [Method] Since gp48 gene of BVDV is among the most conserved regions, a set of four primers was designed to amplify six target sequences at the gp48 gene region for the RT-LAMP assay. The optimization of the RT-LAMP reaction was performed by evaluat-ing reaction temperature and reaction time. [Result] The RT-LAMP aasay was suc-cessful y conducted at 56 ℃ within 40 min under isothermal conditions, and the re-sults could be detected as ladder-like bands using agarose gel electrophoresis. The RT-LAMP assay is highly sensitive and able to detect 3.74 ×100 copies/μl of BVDV RNA, as no cross-reaction was observed with other viruses. [Conclusion] Overal , the newly established RT-LAMP assay indicates the potential application in both clinical diagnosis and field surveil ance of BVDV.

Detection of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus in Guangxi Province from 2011 to 2014 and Sequence Analysis of Its M Gene

Detection of pigs epidemic diarrhea virus （PEDV） was conducted on 331 piglets diarrhea fecal samples collected in Nanning, Yulin and other 12 areas of Guangxi Province from January of 2011 to April of 2014 by the method of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The results showed that the positive samples of PEDV were 210 and the positive rate was 63.44%. The clone and sequencing of M gene was carried out on 25 positive samples. PEDV reference strains were selected from GeneBank to conduct the sequence homology alignment analysis and the phylogenetic tree of M gene. The M gene homology and amino acid sequence identity between 25 isolated strains and 51 reference strains were 96.0% - 99.6% and 94.3% - 99.6%, respectively. The genetic variation anal- ysis of M gene showed that the genetic relationship of PEDV prevalent strains in Guangxi Province from 2013 to 2014 was close to that of the prevalent strains in Bei- jing, Anhui, Wuhan, Hebei and Guangdong from 2010 to 2013, and which were far from that of the Chinese early isolates CH/S （GenBank number： JN547228 ）, vaccine strain CV777 （GenBank number： AF353511 ） and Attenuated DR13 （GenBank number： JQ023162）. Indicating that the PEDV strains prevalent in Guan- gxi in recent years showed significant variation with the early isolates.

Construction and Immunogenicity of Recombinant Lactococcus lactis Expressing S1 Protein of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus(PEDV)

To evaluate the specific immune responses induced by recombinant Lactococcus lactis（L.lactis） which expresses porcine epidemic diarrhea virus（PEDV） S1 protein through oral administration,the spike gene fragment of PEDV was amplified from PEDV SDLY strain to construct p MG36 e-S1 recombinant plasmid.The recombinant plasmid was then electro-transferred into competent cells of L.lactis MG1363,to prepare the recombinant L.lactis expressing S1 protein of PEDV.The expression of target protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot.New Zealand white rabbits were orally administered with the recombinant strain;the antibody titer in intestinal mucosa and serum was detected by neutralizing test;and the specific Ig G in serum was evaluated by indirect ELISA.The results showed that the recombinant L.lactis could effectively induce high level of Ig G in serum and high level of mucosal immune antibody.The recombinant L.lactis is qualified to be a potential oral vaccine because it could successfully stimulate both humoral and mucosal immune responses against PEDV.

Real-time Fluorescence Reverse-transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification for Detection of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus

Porcine epidemic diarrhea,a highly contagious enteric infectious disease caused by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV)with symptoms of vomit,diarrhea,loss of appetite of suckling pig,has led to serious economic loss to the global swine industry.In this study,a real-time fluorescence reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification(RT-LAMP)assay was developed to detect PEDV RNA.The real-time fluorescence RT-LAMP assay was performed at62℃for 60 min,using a simple and portable device,the ESE-Quant Tube Scanner.The detection limit of RNA was 2.9×10^(6) copies/μl,10 times as sensitive as RT-PCR,and the detection was specific only to PEDV.Application of this method to clinical samples yielded a positivity rate of 93%,which was higher than that of RT-PCR.This technique saves time and is efficient,and is thus expected to be useful for the diagnosis of PEDV infection in the field.

Cloning and sequence analysis of E2 gene of bovine viral diarrhea virus HB-DCZ strain in Hebei province of China

The objective of this paper was to analyze the E2 genetic characterization of HB-DCZ strain of Bovine viral diaxrhca Virus （BVDV） which wcrc amplified by RT-PCR and isolated from China. The product of PCK was cloned into pMD18-T vector, and then transfected Escherichia Coli JMI00. The recombinant plasmids were amplified by PCR and were sequenced. From the nucleotide sequence of the amplified products, phylogenetie analyses were performed and genotypes or subgenotypes were identified. The results indicated that the E2 gene fragment of HB-DCZ strain contained 1277bp nucleotides, and had 89.4%, 70.7%, 97.6%, 68.9%, 67.2% sequence similarity with Osloss, OregonC24V, Changchun184, ZM195, NADL, respectively. In conclusion, HB-DCZ strain is closely related to BVDV Osloss, Changchun184, and belongs to subgenotype lb.

Isolation and Identification of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus(PEDV) HLJ Strain with IPEC-J2 Cells and Phylogenetic Analysis of Its S Gene

Porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED)is caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV),and is characterized by vomiting,diarrhea and dehydration of suckling pigs from 80% to 100% morbidity and 50% to 90% mortality,and resulted in tremendous economic losses to swine industry.The PEDV mainly infects small intestine of pigs,resulting in vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of mucosal epithelium.The IPEC-J2 is a pig intestine epithelial cell line,which is similar to the intestinal environment of piglets,can be used to isolate and identify the PEDV field isolates.In this study,it appeared the PEDV typical postmortem changes and histopathological lesion of degeneration and destruction of small intestine in infected piglets,and IHC identified that the PEDV distributed in the mucosa and submucosa of small intestine mostly.Furthermore,the PEDV HLJ strain was successfully isolated and characterized in the IPEC-J2 cells,and indicated that the IPEC-J2 cell line was sensitive to isolate and adapt the PEDV field strain,and could be utilized to multiply the PEDV rapidly.The S gene analysis indicated that the PEDV HLJ strain was the prevailed virus,belonged to Group 1 with attenuated virulent DR13,SC1402 and J-S2/2015 strains isolated in South Korea and China from 2014 to 2015.This study had important theoretical and practical significances on analyzing genetic variation of the PEDV,understanding the pathogenic characteristics of the virus and developing new vaccines for the PED.

Porcine NF-κB p65 Subunit:Molecular Characterization,Tissue Expression and Transcriptional Profile in Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus-infected IPEC-J2 Cells

The p65 protein is a functional subunit of NF-κB family and exhibits a crucial role in host immune and inflammatory responses,apoptosis and tumor proliferation if improperly-regulated.Given its ubiquitous association with nearly all the animal cells and its pleotropic functions,the gene encoding NF-κB p65 subunit was cloned and sequenced from porcine kidney(PK-15)cells.The gene was 1662 bp in length,encoded a 553-amino acid protein and contained the prototypical NF-κB functional domains.Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot were used to characterize the transcription and expression levels of the p65 in different pig tissues.The results indicated that the p65 gene and protein were both broadly expressed in pig tissues,but most highly expressed in the intestine-associated lymph nodes and the lungs.To localize the recombinant protein in intestinal porcine epithelial cells(IPEC-J2),the gene was subcloned into the vector pEGFP(pEGFP-p65).Using fluorescence microscopy,the protein was found confined to the cytoplasm in normal cells;however,during porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV)infection,mRNA and protein expression were significantly up-regulated and the protein exhibited an overt tendency for nuclear translocalization consistent with a regulatory role in antiviral innate immunity.

Screening of Host Proteins Interacting with PorcineEpidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) N Protein by YeastTwo-hybrid System

[Objective] The paper was to obtain host proteins interacting with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus （PEDV） N protein. [Method] The re-combinant vector pGBKT7-N of PEDV N gene was constructed and used as the bait plasmid to screen the proteins interacting with N protein ofPEDV from the cDNA library of porcine alveolar macrophage （PAM） by yeast two-hybrid method. [Result] There was no toxicity and self activationof bait protein in yeast hybridization system, and six proteins （FTH1, LGALS3, CORO1C, SNRPG, KRTAP5-3, ZNF598） interacting with N proteinwere indentified. It was confirmed that LGALS3 and SNRPG had specific interaction with N protein by return experiment and co-immunoprecipitation（CoIP） test. [Conclusion] The study lays a foundation for further studying the function of PEDV N protein and the pathogenic mechanism of PEDV.

Prevalence of coronavirus from diarrheic calves in the Republic of Korea

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of bovine coronavirus(BCo V), bovine rotavirus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus in the feces of normal and diarrheic Korean native calves aged 1-81 days between April and October of 2016 in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Samples were obtained from 50 normal and 93 diarrheic(56 semi-formed, 28 loose, and 9 watery feces) calves in six different regions of northern and southern Korea. These fecal samples were tested for BCo V, bovine rotavirus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus by RT-PCR. Results: Among the three pathogens examined, infection with BCo V was especially prominent in relation to diarrhea among calves aged 1-21 days [odds ratio(OR)=9.3, 95% confidence interval(CI): 1.1-78.9; P=0.02). Infection with BCo V alone(OR=2.9; 95% CI: 1.1-7.6; P=0.03) or coinfection of BCo V with bovine viral diarrhea virus(OR=3.6; 95% CI: 1.0-12.4; P=0.04) was significantly associated with the development of loose feces. Grazing and colostrum intake strongly reduced the occurrence of diarrhea as compared to housed calves(OR=0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.4; P=0.00) and calves that had not been fed colostrum(OR=0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.7; P=0.02), respectively. Conclusions: The present study suggests that BCo V is involved in calf diarrhea in the Republic of Korea. Therefore, grazing and colostrum intake is recommended for preventing and controlling calf diarrhea caused by BCoV.

宁夏地区肉牛腹泻相关病毒感染状况的分析

本研究旨在了解宁夏地区肉牛病毒性腹泻病原感染现状及流行特点,为牛腹泻病的防控工作提供科学依据。本研究采用RT-PCR方法对宁夏地区293份肉牛拭子样本进行牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)、牛冠状病毒(BCoV)、牛轮状病毒(BRV)、牛诺瓦病毒(BNoV)、牛星状病毒(BAstV)检测,并对其进行遗传进化分析。研究表明,该地区肉牛普遍存在腹泻病毒的感染及混合感染;散养模式下肉牛腹泻病毒的感染及混合感染情况较规模化养殖严重;病毒性腹泻在不同地区、不同病毒差异明显;遗传进化分析发现宁夏地区BVDV流行株为1e亚型,BRV流行株为G1亚型,BNoV流行株为GⅢ.2亚型,BCoV流行株与法国株遗传进化关系较近。结果显示,宁夏地区肉牛普遍存在腹泻相关病毒的感染,不同养殖模式、不同地区、不同病毒之间存在差异,且混合感染严重。

Identification of niclosamide as a novel antiviral agent against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection by targeting viral internalization

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV),an enteropathogenic coronavirus,has catastrophic impacts on the global pig industry.However,there remain no effective drugs against PEDV infection.In this study,we utilized a recombinant PEDV expressing renilla luciferase(PEDV-Rluc)to screen potential anti-PEDV agents from an FDAapproved drug library in Vero cells.Four compounds were identified that significantly decreased luciferase activity of PEDV-Rluc.Among them,niclosamide was further characterized because it exhibited the most potent antiviral activity with the highest selectivity index.It can efficiently inhibit viral RNA synthesis,protein expression and viral progeny production of classical and variant PEDV strains in a dose-dependent manner.Time of addition assay showed that niclosamide exhibited potent anti-PEDV activity when added simultaneously with or after virus infection.Furthermore,niclosamide significantly inhibited the entry stage of PEDV infection by affecting viral internalization rather than viral attachment to cells.In addition,a combination with other small molecule inhibitors of endosomal acidification enhanced the anti-PEDV effect of niclosamide in vitro.Taken together,these findings suggested that niclosamide is a novel antiviral agent that might provide a basis for the development of novel drug therapies against PEDV and other related pathogenic coronavirus infections.

东莞市一起社区诺如病毒腹泻爆发调查分析

目的对东莞市某社区发生的一起腹泻爆发疫情进行调查和分析。方法采用现场流行病学调查方法了解病例发生情况及可疑传播因素;采用ELISA、RT-PCR等方法对人体和外环境标本进行检测。结果本次疫情从2007年2月11日开始至18日结束,共发生腹泻病例173例,罹患率2.40%。从4份病人粪便标本中均检测出诺如病毒核酸片段。疫情特点符合经水传播传染病特征。结论本次疫情为一起由诺如病毒引起的社区腹泻爆发,可疑传播因素为被污染的水。

90例非轮状病毒腹泻患儿粪便中诺瓦克样病毒的检测

目的了解90份婴幼儿腹泻病人轮状病毒分子生物学方法检测阴性的粪便标本中诺瓦克样病毒感染状况。方法应用酶联免疫吸附实验方法(ELISA)进行诺瓦克样病毒抗原检测。结果90份粪便标本中诺瓦克样病毒I型(G1)和Ⅱ型(G2)阳性分别检出6例和19例,阳性率分别为6.67%和21.11%,两者差异有显著性。结论诺瓦克样病毒感染可能是武汉地区婴幼儿腹泻的重要病因之一,其中基因Ⅱ型为主要流行株。

对诺如病毒感染性腹泻的新认识

诺如病毒属中的诺沃克病毒(GⅠ.1)是最早被确认可引起人类病毒性腹泻和胃肠炎的病原。但由于缺乏敏感和常规的诊断方法,大多数临床医生对其重要性认识不足。随着分子生物学的进展及新型诊断技术的应用,诺如病毒目前已被欧美公认为导致成人病毒性胃肠炎的首要病原,也是儿童病毒性胃肠炎的第二位病原。本文对诺如病毒性胃肠炎的最新理念作一综述。

牛病毒性腹泻黏膜病毒E2基因的原核表达与免疫原性分析

[目的]原核表达牛病毒性腹泻黏膜病毒(BVDV)E2基因编码蛋白。[方法]采用PCR方法从BVDV中扩增E2基因片段,与原核表达载体pET-32a连接,构建重组表达质粒pET-32a-E2,转化E.coli(Rosetta)感受态细胞,重组菌用1 mmol/L IPTG诱导表达E2蛋白,进行SDS-PAGE电泳,并用Ni-NTA亲和层析柱纯化目的蛋白,经Western blot分析鉴定免疫原性。[结果]重组质粒pET-32aE2经PCR及酶切鉴定证明构建正确,重组质粒能够在大肠杆菌中大量表达,表达产物的分子质量大小约为58 kDa,纯化后E2重组蛋白浓度0.521 mg/mL,Western blot分析表明,其能被BVDV阳性血清识别,具有很好的免疫原性。[结论]E2蛋白成功表达,为后续建立BVDV检测方法奠定了基础。

Isolation and oral immunogenicity assessment of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus NH-TA2020 strain:One of the predominant strains circulating in China from 2017 to 2021

Porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED)caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus(PEDV)is one of the most devastating diseases in the global pig industry due to its high mortality rate in piglets.Maternal vaccines can effectively enhance the gut-mammary gland-secretory IgA axis to boost lactogenic immunity and passive protection of nursing piglets against PEDV challenge.From 2017 to 2021,we collected 882 diarrhea samples from 303 farms in China to investigate the epidemiology of PEDV.The result showed that about 52.15%(158/303)of the farms were positive for PEDV with an overall detection rate of 63.95%(564/882)of the samples.The S1 fragments of S gene from 104 strains were sequenced for the phylogenetic analysis.A total of 71 PEDV strains(68.27%)sequenced in this study were clustered into the predominant G2c subgroup,while the newly-defined G2d strains(9.62%)were identified in three provinces of China.The NH-TA2020 strain of G2c subgroup was isolated and cultured,and its infection to piglets caused watery diarrhea within 24 h,indicating its strong pathogenicity.Oral administration of NH-TA2020 strain to pregnant gilts stimulated high levels of IgA antibody in colostrum.The piglets fed by the gilts above were challenged with NH-TA2020 strain or CH-HeB-RY-2020 strain from G2d subgroup,and the clinical symptoms and virus shedding were significantly reduced compared to the mock group.Our findings suggest that G2c subgroup is the predominant branch circulating in China from 2017 to 2021.Oral administration of NH-TA2020 enhances maternal IgA and lactogenic immune responses,which confer protection against the homologous and emerging G2d PEDV strains challenges in neonates.

Nucleocapsid protein from porcine epidemic diarrhea virus isolates can antagonize interferon-λ production by blocking the nuclear factor-κB nuclear translocation

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus（PEDV） is a highly infectious pathogen that can cause severe diseases in pigs and result in enormous economic losses in the worldwide swine industry. Previous studies revealed that PEDV exhibits an obvious capacity for modulating interferon（IFN） signaling or expression. The newly discovered type III IFN, which plays a crucial role in antiviral immunity, has strong antiviral activity against PEDV proliferation in IPEC-J2 cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PEDV nucleocapsid（N） protein on type III IFN-λ. We found that the N proteins of ten PEDV strains isolated between 2013 and 2017 from different local farms shared high nucleotide identities, while the N protein of the CV777 vaccine strain formed a monophyletic branch in the phylogenetic tree. The N protein of the epidemic strain could antagonize type III IFN, but not type I or type II IFN expression induced by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid（poly（I：C）） in IPEC-J2 cells. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the inhibition of poly（I：C）-induced IFN-λ3 production by PEDV N protein was dependent on the blocking of nuclear factor-κB（NF-κB） nuclear translocation. These findings might help increase understanding of the pathogenesis of PEDV and its mechanisms for evading the host immune response.

Importance of Viral Disease in Dairy Cow Fertility

Many viral diseases are endemic in cattle populations worldwide. The ability of many viruses to cross the placenta and cause abortions and fetal malformations is well understood. There is also significant evidence that viral infections have additional actions in dairy cows, which are reflected in reduced conception rates. These effects are, however, highly dependent on the time at which an individual animal first contracts the disease and are less easy to quantify. This paper reviews the evidence relating to five viruses that can affect fertility, together with their potential mechanisms of action. Acute infection with non-cytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in mid-gestation increases abortion rates or causes the birth of persistently infected calves. BVDV infections closer to the time of breeding can have direct effects on the ovaries and uterine endometrium, which cause estrous cycle irregularities and early embryo mortality. Fertility may also be reduced by BVDV-induced immunosuppression, which increases the susceptibility to bacterial infections. Bovine herpesvirus (BHV)-1 is most common in pre-pubertal heifers, and can slow their growth, delay breeding, and increase the age at first calving. Previously infected animals subsequently show reduced fertility. Although this may be associated with lung damage, ovarian lesions have also been reported. Both BHV-1 and BHV-4 remain latent in the host following initial infection and may be reactivated later by stress, for example associated with calving and early lactation. While BHV-4 infection alone may not reduce fertility, it appears to act as a co-factor with established bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes to promote the development of endometritis and delay uterine repair mechanisms after calving. Both Schmallenberg virus (SBV) and bluetongue virus (BTV) are transmitted by insect vectors and lead to increased abortion rates and congenital malformations.BTV-8 also impairs the development of hatched blastocysts;furthermore, infection around the time of breeding with either virus appears to reduce conception rates. Although the reductions in conception rates are often difficult to quantify, they are nevertheless sufficient to cause economic losses, which help to justify the benefits of vaccination and eradication schemes.

鉴别猪流行性腹泻病毒野毒株和疫苗株RT-PCR方法的建立

为临床上能鉴别猪流行性腹泻病毒(PEDV)野毒株和疫苗株,根据GenBank中已发表的PEDV疫苗株ORF3基因序列,在245~293位缺失区域两侧设计合成1对特异性引物,建立了快速鉴别和诊断PEDV野毒株和疫苗株的RT-PCR方法,即PEDV野毒株、疫苗株基因组中分别可扩增出长度为282和233bp的特异性片段,而对猪传染性胃肠炎病毒、猪轮状病毒、猪细小病毒、猪圆环病毒2型、猪博卡病毒、猪伪狂犬病毒核酸扩增均为阴性;对PEDV野毒株与疫苗株的最低检测下限分别为455拷贝/μL和396拷贝/μL。该方法不仅能够有效区分PEDV野毒株和疫苗株,而且能够鉴别发病猪的感染情况,为该病的防控提供了有效地技术保障。