Isolation and genomic characterization of a novel chicken-orign orthoreovirus causing goslings hepatitis

Abstract

A severe infectious disease characterized by nephritis, hepatitis and splenitis has attacked goslings around Shandong province in China since 2016. A novel chicken-origin avian orthoreovirus (ARV) was isolated with LMH cells from affected goslings named Reo/Goose/SDPY/1116/17 (SDPY-ARV) strain, and the infection was successfully reproduced experimentally. The ARV-SDPY full genome sequencing was conducted using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technique on Illumina HiSeq platform. The complete genome of SDPY-ARV was 23,427 bp in length and consist of 10 dsRNA segments ranged from 1192 bp (S4) to 3958 bp (L1) which encoding 12 viral proteins. Genomic sequence analysis showed that the SDPY-ARV strain is in the same branch with broiler, pheasant-origin ARV isolates, and shares 51.8-96.2% of nucleotide identity of σC gene with them; while only 49.3-50.3% with waterfowl isolates. In addition, the occurrence of 10 segments genetic reassortment of SDPY strain is confirmed among the PA15511, the 1733 and the PA13649 strains from America. In conclusion, the causative agent of gosling hemorrhagic necrotic hepatitis and nephritis occurring in China is a novel chicken-origin goose orthoreovirus.

Keywords: Goslings; Hemorrhagic necrotic hepatitis; Next-generation sequencing; Orthoreovirus.