Genetic typing of classical swine fever virus isolates from the territory of the Czech Republic

Epizootiological studies based on genetic typing were performed using 14 is olates from outbreaks of classical swine fever (CSF) in domestic pigs and w ild boar in the Czech Republic which occurred between 1991 and 1998. They w ere compared with Austrian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Polish and German isolate s. The aim of this study was to characterise the CSF virus isolates and fin d out the possible relationships between the outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar, and to map the spread of the virus in the Czech Republic. For t his, fragments of the 5' nontranslated region (5' NTR) and of the E2 glycop rotein gene were sequenced and used for genetic typing. The analysis of bot h fragments of the genome showed that the Czech isolates belong to two CSF subgroups within group 2, namely to subgroups 2.2 and 2.3. A close relation was found with Austrian isolates from 1992 and 1994, belonging to subgroup 2.2. The isolates in subgroup 2.3 formed a very homogenous group, although they originated from different regions of the country. They seem identical to two Slovakian isolates from 1998, and differed from Hungarian isolates from 1992. Epizootiological links became evident when the epidemiological d ata were compared. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.