Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus A in Calves: Evolutionary Analysis of a Bovine G8P[11] Strain and Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of G6 Lineages in the Americas
Enrique L. Louge Uriarte,
Alejandra Badaracco,
Maximiliano J. Spetter,
Samuel Miño,
Joaquín I. Armendano,
Mark Zeller,
Elisabeth Heylen,
Ernesto Späth,
María Rosa Leunda,
Ana Rita Moreira,
Jelle Matthijnssens,
Viviana Parreño,
Anselmo C. Odeón
Affiliations
Enrique L. Louge Uriarte
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible, Ruta 226, km 73.5, Balcarce B7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alejandra Badaracco
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Montecarlo, Av. El Libertador Nº 2472, Montecarlo CP3384, Misiones, Argentina
Maximiliano J. Spetter
Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil (CIVETAN), Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Paraje Arroyo Seco s/n, Tandil CP7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Samuel Miño
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Cerro Azul, Ruta 14, km 836, Cerro Azul CP3313, Misiones, Argentina
Joaquín I. Armendano
Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Departamento de Fisiopatología, Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil (CIVETAN), Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Paraje Arroyo Seco s/n, Tandil CP7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mark Zeller
Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Elisabeth Heylen
Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Ernesto Späth
Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Ruta 226, km 73.5, Balcarce B7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina
María Rosa Leunda
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible, Ruta 226, km 73.5, Balcarce B7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ana Rita Moreira
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible, Ruta 226, km 73.5, Balcarce B7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jelle Matthijnssens
Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Viviana Parreño
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Virología e Innovaciones Tecnológicas, Nicolas Repetto y de los Reseros s/n, Hurlingham CP1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Anselmo C. Odeón
Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Ruta 226, km 73.5, Balcarce B7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rotavirus A (RVA) causes diarrhea in calves and frequently possesses the G6 and P[5]/P[11] genotypes, whereas G8 is less common. We aimed to compare RVA infections and G/P genotypes in beef and dairy calves from major livestock regions of Argentina, elucidate the evolutionary origin of a G8 strain and analyze the G8 lineages, infer the phylogenetic relationship of RVA field strains, and investigate the evolution and spatio-temporal dynamics of the main G6 lineages in American countries. Fecal samples (n = 422) from diarrheic (beef, 104; dairy, 137) and non-diarrheic (beef, 78; dairy, 103) calves were analyzed by ELISA and semi-nested multiplex RT-PCR. Sequencing, phylogenetic, phylodynamic, and phylogeographic analyses were performed. RVA infections were more frequent in beef (22.0%) than in dairy (14.2%) calves. Prevalent genotypes and G6 lineages were G6(IV)P[5] in beef (90.9%) and G6(III)P[11] (41.2%) or mixed genotypes (23.5%) in dairy calves. The only G8 strain was phylogenetically related to bovine and artiodactyl bovine-like strains. Re-analyses inside the G8 genotype identified G8(I) to G8(VIII) lineages. Of all G6 strains characterized, the G6(IV)P[5](I) strains from “Cuenca del Salado” (Argentina) and Uruguay clustered together. According to farm location, a clustering pattern for G6(IV)P[5] strains of beef farms was observed. Both G6 lineage strains together revealed an evolutionary rate of 1.24 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year, and the time to the most recent common ancestor was dated in 1853. The most probable ancestral locations were Argentina in 1981 for G6(III) strains and the USA in 1940 for G6(IV) strains. The highest migration rates for both G6 lineages together were from Argentina to Brazil and Uruguay. Altogether, the epidemiology, genetic diversity, and phylogeny of RVA in calves can differ according to the production system and farm location. We provide novel knowledge about the evolutionary origin of a bovine G8P[11] strain. Finally, bovine G6 strains from American countries would have originated in the USA nearly a century before its first description.
