Molecular Epidemiological Analysis of Orf Viruses in Japanese Serows (Capricornis crispus)

Abstract

The orf virus infects sheep, goats, and Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus). It was first reported in Japanese serows in Iwate Prefecture in 1973, and has since spread among them throughout Japan. Because orf virus-susceptible livestock such as sheep and goats inhabits in Japan, there are the risk of transmission of Japanese serow-derived orf viruses to livestock. In this study, we determined nucleotide sequences (1,137 bp) of open reading frame (ORF) 11 of six strains isolated from Japanese serows and the Iwate strain isolated from sheep. Deduced amino acid sequences (378 aa) among them were 99-100% identical, indicating that ORF11 is highly conserved. Analysis of other regions of these viruses is needed to clarify the molecular epidemiological correlation among the Japanese strains.