THE VP4 AND VP7 OF BOVINE ROTAVIRUS VMRI ARE ANTIGENICALLY AND GENETICALLY CLOSELY-RELATED TO P-TYPE-5, G-TYPE-6 STRAINS

We have previously reported the isolation of a bovine rotavirus, desig nated VMRI, with a super-short electropherotype, We have characterized this strain further as it has shown antigenic differences with the pr ototype G6 strain NCDV-Lincoln. In this communication, we report the a ntigenic and molecular characterization and the nucleotide sequence of the VP4 and VP7 genes of this strain. Virus neutralization tests indi cated 2- to 13-fold differences in the titers between NCDV-Lincoln, B6 41 and VMRI strains. Northern blot hybridization results indicated a d egree of heterogeneity in the VP4 gene of these strains which can be d etected under conditions of high stringency. The VP4 and VP7 genes of the VMRI strain were cloned and sequenced and compared with the publis hed sequences of other bovine rotavirus strains. The VP4 gene of VMRI had a high degree of homology with that of UK and B641 strains but dif fered significantly from that of both NCDV-Lincoln and B223 strains. S equence analysis of the VP7 gene of VMRI and other strains indicated a high degree of conservation and the amino acid identity between the d ifferent strains was 96%. Sequence information regarding these strains and field isolates will assist in the generation of effective vaccina tion strategies for control of neonatal calf diarrhea.