Molecular Characterization of G and F Protein Genes of Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus Detected From Dead Calves Caused by Severe Respiratory Syndrome: Emergence of Novel Mutations and Their Importance

Abstract

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is an important viral agent in bovine respiratory disease complex affecting young calves from asymptomatic to fatal. Although BRSV is widely prevalent in Turkiye as in other parts of the world, there are limited molecular studies on BRSV in Turkiye. Therefore, in order to better understand the characteristics of circulating BRSV in Turkiye, a study based on the molecular analysis of both F and G proteins was performed. For this purpose, the presence of BRSV was investigated in 20 calves that died as a result of severe respiratory syndrome in the western region of Turkiye in 2020. Nested PCR was performed for both gene regions, and the products were sequenced. Four samples detected as BRSV positive were identified as genotype III according to both gene regions in molecular analysis. However, they were separated into two distinct clusters due to significant differences in nucleotide (90.09-99.54%) and amino acid (85.42-99.31%) similarities between them. Besides, two positive samples in the same cluster were even more different from previously detected Turkish isolates (90.78-92.17% nt and 87.50-89.58% aa). More over, we detected nine novel aa mutations in the extracellular domain, an immunologically important region in the G protein of the virus, that have not been reported in other world isolates found in Genbank until now. These findings suggest that there may be many different viruses in circulation that have the ability to escape the immune system. We recommend that these findings be taken into account in planning both vaccine and epidemiological studies.