Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Orf Virus From Dermatological Lesions in the Teats of Goats

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The orf virus (ORFV) is a viral pathogen that primarily causes contagious ecthyma in humans and different ruminants. The infection, which is common worldwide, causes large‐scale economic losses to animal breeders. Objective and Methods In this study, tissue samples collected from eight randomly selected goats with dermatological lesions on the teats were examined in different goat herds. B2L gene‐specific primer pairs (PP1, PP3 and PP4) were used to reveal the presence of ORFV by molecular methods and for phylogenetic analysis. Results Viral DNA was detected in four of eight tissues using the semi‐nested PCR method. In addition, the data obtained by performing sequence analyses of the amplicons with positive results were compared with the information of different ORFV isolates registered in the GenBank database. Based on the sequence analysis of the field isolates obtained in our study, it was found that the nucleotide similarities among these isolates and those from Asian countries were 100%. Furthermore, ORFV isolates collected from different species and produced in Türkiye over various periods exhibited homologous nucleotide sequences with similarities ranging from 98.1% to 98.8%. In the phylogenetic tree drawn based on the B2L genomic region, it was observed that our field isolates were classified in Group I together with other Turkish and Asian strains. Conclusion As a result, while other pathogenic agents are considered the cause of disease in goats with dermatological lesions on their mammary tissue, the ORFV should also be evaluated, and protection and control programs should be prepared accordingly.