The Detection and Molecular Characterization of Bovine Respiratory Coronavirus Infection by RT-PCR in Erzurum

Bovine coronaviruses (BCoV) cause severe respiratory and gastrointestinal infections affecting the animal breeding industry worldwide. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the presence/currency of coronavirus, and to identify the relationship with other coronaviruses. Fifty-four cattle (in different breeds and ages) with respiratory symptoms that have been breeding in the surrounding districts and Erzurum were included in this study. Samples of nasal swap and lung tissue with pneumonia were taken, as material, from the animals slaughtered. The samples collected were subjected to viral nucleic acid extraction, RT-PCR and Nested-PCR. The amplicon representing the region was sequenced. Coronavirus strains that were identified in our region and those obtained from the Gene Bank (as vaccine and reference strains) were compared by sequencing process. As a result of molecular analyses, 11 (20.4 %) samples (swap and lung tissue) collected from 54 cattle with respiratory system infection were positive. Moreover, it was determined that the circulating virus in the region was belonging to the group of betacoronavirus A and it was in the same cluster with the vaccine strain. By this study, the current situation has been updated both in our region and the country and also contributed to the epidemiological data.