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. 2020 Aug 31;12(9):963.
doi: 10.3390/v12090963.

Co-Circulation of Multiple Serotypes of Bluetongue Virus in Zambia

Herman M Chambaro  1   2   3 , Michihito Sasaki  1 , Edgar Simulundu  4   5 , Isaac Silwamba  4 , Yona Sinkala  3 , Gabriel Gonzalez  6 , David Squarre  7   8 , Paul Fandamu  3 , Caesar H Lubaba  3 , Musso Munyeme  4 , Alikhadio Maseko  3 , Choopa Chimvwele  3 , Liywalii Mataa  3 , Lynnfield E Mooya  2   3 , Andrew N Mukubesa  4 , Hayato Harima  1 , Kenny L Samui  4 , Hetron M Munang'andu  9 , Martin Simuunza  4 , King S Nalubamba  4 , Yongjin Qiu  10 , Michael J Carr  6   11 , William W Hall  6   11   12 , Yuki Eshita  10 , Hirofumi Sawa  1   11   12 , Yasuko Orba  1   11
Affiliations

Co-Circulation of Multiple Serotypes of Bluetongue Virus in Zambia

Herman M Chambaro et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Bluetongue (BT) is an arthropod-borne viral disease of ruminants with serious trade and socio-economic implications. Although the disease has been reported in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, there is currently no information on circulating serotypes and disease distribution in Zambia. Following surveillance for BT in domestic and wild ruminants in Zambia, BT virus (BTV) nucleic acid and antibodies were detected in eight of the 10 provinces of the country. About 40% (87/215) of pooled blood samples from cattle and goats were positive for BTV nucleic acid, while one hartebeest pool (1/43) was positive among wildlife samples. Sequence analysis of segment 2 revealed presence of serotypes 3, 5, 7, 12 and 15, with five nucleotypes (B, E, F, G and J) being identified. Segment 10 phylogeny showed Zambian BTV sequences clustering with Western topotype strains from South Africa, intimating likely transboundary spread of BTV in Southern Africa. Interestingly, two Zambian viruses and one isolate from Israel formed a novel clade, which we designated as Western topotype 4. The high seroprevalence (96.2%) in cattle from Lusaka and Central provinces and co-circulation of multiple serotypes showed that BT is widespread, underscoring the need for prevention and control strategies.

Keywords: Reoviridae; Zambia; bluetongue; bluetongue virus; domestic ruminants; sero-surveillance; serotypes; topotypes; wild ruminants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map showing sample collection sites, bluetongue virus nucleic acid detection, antibody and serotyping results in selected districts and provinces of Zambia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phylogenetic tree of segment 2 gene of viruses detected in this study. The tree was generated using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the general time reversable (GTR) model with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Numbers at branch nodes indicate bootstrap values (>60%). Viruses characterized in the present study are in red text. Shaded area and letters represent BTV nucleotypes. References sequences for BTV1 to 28 are in black text. Bar—number of nucleotide substitutions per site. Abbreviations: EP, Eastern Province; SP, Southern Province; WP, Western Province; NP, Northern Province; LZ, Lundazi; MG, Mongu; LIV, Livingstone; NM, Namwala; MB, Mbala; KS, Kasama; MPK, Mpika.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phylogenetic tree of segment 10 gene of viruses detected in this study. The tree was generated using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura 3-parameter (T92) model with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Numbers at branch nodes indicate bootstrap values (> 60%). Viruses characterized in the present study are in red text. Novel topotype is in green text. Right brackets—clade. Shaded area—topotype. Reference sequences for Western and Eastern topotypes are in black text. Bar—number of nucleotide substitutions per site. Abbreviations: EP, Eastern Province; SP, Southern Province; WP, Western Province; NP, Northern Province; LZ, Lundazi; MG, Mongu; NM, Namwala; MB, Mbala; KS, Kasama; MPK, Mpika.
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