Isolation and Molecular Study of Sheep Pox and Orf Viruses in Tunisia

Abstract

Small ruminant farms are affected by several infectious cutaneous diseases. Thus, sheep pox and contagious pustular dermatitis represent two major viral diseases that need investigating as they can reach endemic proportions and cause important economic losses. The aim of this work was to isolate the viral strains at the origin of both diseases in Tunisia, and to characterize them by applying and comparing several diagnosis techniques. Electronic microscopy was used to study the external and internal morphology of the various strains isolated on cell culture. Identification by PCR concerned the thymidine kinase (TK) gene, the IL8 receptor-like gene specific of Capripoxvirus, and the P42K gene specific of Parapoxvirus. The very sensitive and very specific molecular identification of Capripoxvirus wild strains was completed by a phylogenetic analysis.

Keywords

• Caprin
• Ovin
• Capripoxvirus
• Virus ecthyma contagieux
• Parapoxvirus
• PCR
• Phylogénie
• Séquence nucléotidique
• Tunisie