RESUMO
We have performed an equine influenza (EI) serological study of the equine population in Algeria by testing 298 serum samples collected between February and August 2021 from 5 provinces. The results were obtained performing an NP-ELISA. Our results revealed that 49.3% (147/298) samples positive for antibodies to EI (H3N8). During this study and after a gap of one decade an outbreak of EI was reported in Algeria in the first week of March 2021. The disease was confirmed by virus detection from the nasal swabs (n = 39) by qRT-PCR and by identifying 5 EI seroconversion. The virus sequences were identified as H3N8 by sequencing the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes. Alignment of HA1 amino acid sequence confirmed that viruses belong to Clade 1 of the Florida sublineage in the American lineage. This study indicate the first detection of FC1 strain of EIV in Maghreb area.
Assuntos
Doenças dos Cavalos , Vírus da Influenza A Subtipo H3N8 , Influenza Humana , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae , Cavalos , Animais , Humanos , Vírus da Influenza A Subtipo H3N8/genética , Argélia/epidemiologia , Influenza Humana/epidemiologia , Filogenia , África do Norte , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae/epidemiologia , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae/veterinária , Surtos de Doenças/veterinária , Doenças dos Cavalos/diagnósticoRESUMO
Equine influenza (EI) is one of the most contagious respiratory infections in horses, donkeys and mules, caused by equine influenza A virus (EIV). It remains a disease with a strong economic stake for the equine industry. This review focuses on the epidemiological situation of EIV in the Maghreb area, which includes Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. There is serological evidence for extensive circulation of EIV in the Maghreb area since the early 1970s, but reports of detailed investigation of outbreaks are scarce with no documented isolation or molecular characterization of EIV from Tunisia. Isolates of EIV were obtained from outbreaks in Algeria in 1971/1972 and 2011. Similarly, in Morocco, isolates were obtained from outbreaks in 1997 and 2004. The viruses isolated in 2004 showed evidence of 'evolutionary stasis', with haemagglutinin and non-structural protein 1 sequences most similar to those of viruses isolated decades earlier. In conclusion, effective surveillance of equids in the Maghreb region, where there is potential for virus re-emergence, should be encouraged.
