AUTHOR=Ren Tongwei , Mo Qingrong , Wang Yuxu , Wang Hao , Nong Zuorong , Wang Jinglong , Niu Chenxia , Liu Chang , Chen Ying , Ouyang Kang , Huang Weijian , Wei Zuzhang 

TITLE=Emergence and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Getah Virus Isolated in Southern China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.552517

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.552517

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=Getah virus (GETV) has caused many outbreaks in animals in recent years. Monitoring of the virus and its related diseases is very crucial to contain the transmission of the virus. In the summer of 2018, we conducted routine tests on clinical samples from different pig farms in Guangxi province, southern China and then isolated and characterized a GETV strain, named GX201808. Cytopathic effects (CPE) were observed in BHK-21 cells inoculated with GX201808. The expression of E2 protein of GETV could be detected in the virus infected cells by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA). Electron microscopic analysis showed the virus particles were spherical with approximately 70 nm in diameter and featured surface fibers. The multi-step growth curve showed the virus propagated well in the BHK-21 cells. Molecular genetic analysis revealed that GX201808 was belonged to Group 3, represented by Kochi-01-2005 isolated in Japan in 2005 and clustered closely with the recent reported Chinese strains isolated from pigs, cattle and fox. Comparison of the identity of nucleotides and amino acids in the coding region demonstrated that the GX201808 showed the highest amino acid identity (99.6%) with the HuN1 strain, a highly pathogenic isolate resulting in an outbreak of GETV infection in swine herds in Hunan province in 2017. In the present study, GETV was identified and isolated for the first time in Guangxi province of southern China, suggesting that future surveillance of GETV should be strengthened.