Research Note : Characterization and phylodynamic analysis of new infectious bursal disease virus variants circulating in Argentina

Infectious Bursal Disease is a highly contagious disease that affects young chickens and leads to significant economic losses. Its causal agent is a double-stranded RNA virus that, due to its high error rate during the replication process, gives rise to a constant generation of new virus variants. Until 2014, strains of Infectious Bursal Diseases Virus (IBDV) belonging to genogroup 4 predominated in Argentina, but there have been no reports since then regarding the circulating genogroups in poultry. In this study, 11 recent sequences of Argentine from the hypervariable region of VP2 protein (hvVP2) were analyzed to determine their genogroup, origin, evolution, and amino acid sequence. Samples from chickens showing signs of IBDV infection were collected, and the hvVP2 region was amplified using RT-PCR, followed by sequencing. The results indicated that the analyzed strains belong to genogroup 2, with an estimated evolutionary rate of 1.74 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year. It is speculated that the predominant group of sequences began to spread in Argentina around 2014 and had its origins in China. Another sample is related to strains from South Korea and is not closely linked to the main group. Furthermore, the predicted amino acid sequences show similarity to strains that can evade vaccine-induced immunity. These findings underscore the importance of active surveillance in poultry to mitigate losses caused by IBDV.

Instituto de Biotecnología

Fil: Jaton, Juan Marcelo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Inmunología y Vacunas Aviares; Argentina

Fil: Jaton, Juan Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Fil: Lozano Calderon, Laura Camila. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Epidemiología Molecular y Evolución Viral; Argentina

Fil: Lozano Calderon, Laura Camila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Fil: Gambini, Pablo. HIPRA Argentina S.A.; Argentina

Fil: Ponti, Marina. HIPRA Argentina S.A.; Argentina

Fil: Gomez, Evangelina Raquel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Inmunología y Vacunas Aviares; Argentina

Fil: Gomez, Evangelina Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Fil: Konig, Guido Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Epidemiología Molecular y Evolución Viral; Argentina

Fil: Konig, Guido Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Fil: Chimeno Zoth, Silvina Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Inmunología y Vacunas Aviares; Argentina

Fil: Chimeno Zoth, Silvina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina