MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF ENCEPHALOMYOCARDITIS VIRUSES ISOLATED FROM PIGSAND RODENTS IN ITALY

Partial nucleotide sequences of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) viruses iso lated from five, apparently independent, outbreaks of fatal myocarditi s in pigs in Italy were compared with three EMC viruses isolated from wild rodents from a different geographic region in the same country. T hese viruses were also compared with EMC viruses isolated from pigs in other European countries and three historical strains. All the Italia n EMC viruses were closely related ( > 94.6% nucleotide identity), but were distinct from viruses occurring in Belgium in 1991 (< 80.5% nucl eotide identity), Greece in 1990 (< 83.3% nucleotide identity) and the three older viruses (< 82.9% nucleotide identity). An EMC virus isola ted from pigs in the Netherlands in 1988, was closely related to the I talian Viruses (95.3-99.3% nucleotide identity). It is suggested that pigs may play a role in the movement of EMC viruses between different geographic regions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .