Detection and molecular characterization of a first isolate of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in Nigeria
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tropical Animal Health and Production, Springer Nature
Abstract
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) was recovered from necropsied rabbits that died during an outbreak characterized by
epistaxis, incoordination, paralysis, and multi-organ haemorrhages in Ilorin, Nigeria. The haemagglutination test (HA) and RTPCR
assay targeted against a fragment of the RHDV VP60 gene were performed on liver, spleen, and kidney homogenates;
faeces; and urine obtained from the rabbits. Amplicons were purified, sequenced, and phylogenetically analysed. The liver
homogenates yielded the highest HA titres while RT-PCR of liver, spleen, and kidneys yielded the expected 1252 bp band.
Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the Nigerian RHDV strain (RHDV/NGR/ILN/001) was 98.57%, 97.95%, and
96.70% homologous with RHDV2 (RHDVGI.2) strains from the Netherlands, Germany, and France, respectively. RHDV/NGR/
ILN/001 induced tracheal, intestinal, and mediastinal lymph node haemorrhages, pulmonary oedema and congestion, and
enlarged, necrotic liver in experimentally inoculated rabbits. The implications of this study, which is the first report of RHDV in Nigeria, are discussed.
Description
Keywords
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus . Haemagglutination test . RT-PCR . Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis . Nigeria
Citation
Daodu, O. B., Shaibu, J. O., Richards, A. B., Folaranmi, E. B., Adegoke, S., Ajadi, A., Olorunshola, I. D., Akanbi, O. B., Afolabi, A. A., Daodu, O. C., Aiyedun, J. O., Oludairo, O. O., Halleed, N. I., Audu, R. A. and Oluwayelu, D. O. (2021). Detection and molecular characterization of a first isolate of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in Nigeria. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 53 (1): 185