Small Ruminant Lentiviruses: Genetic Variability, Tropism and Diagnosis
1
Laboratory of Virology, Genetics and Molecular Biology, FES-Cuautitlán, UNAM C-4 Veterinary, Cuautitlán Izcalli, State of Mexico 54714, Mexico
2
Institute of Agrobiotechnology, CSIC-UPNA-Government of Navarra, Ctra. Mutilva Baja s/n, Navarra 31192, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current address: Game and Fish Research Centre, University of Córdoba, Ctra Nacional IV-a Km 396, Córdoba 14071, Spain
Viruses 2013, 5(4), 1175-1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/v5041175
Received: 20 February 2013 / Revised: 9 April 2013 / Accepted: 12 April 2013 / Published: 23 April 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small Ruminant Lentiviruses)
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) cause a multisystemic chronic disease affecting animal production and welfare. SRLV infections are spread across the world with the exception of Iceland. Success in controlling SRLV spread depends largely on the use of appropriate diagnostic tools, but the existence of a high genetic/antigenic variability among these viruses, the fluctuant levels of antibody against them and the low viral loads found in infected individuals hamper the diagnostic efficacy. SRLV have a marked in vivo tropism towards the monocyte/macrophage lineage and attempts have been made to identify the genome regions involved in tropism, with two main candidates, the LTR and env gene, since LTR contains primer binding sites for viral replication and the env-encoded protein (SU ENV), which mediates the binding of the virus to the host’s cell and has hypervariable regions to escape the humoral immune response. Once inside the host cell, innate immunity may interfere with SRLV replication, but the virus develops counteraction mechanisms to escape, multiply and survive, creating a quasi-species and undergoing compartmentalization events. So far, the mechanisms of organ tropism involved in the development of different disease forms (neurological, arthritic, pulmonary and mammary) are unknown, but different alternatives are proposed. This is an overview of the current state of knowledge on SRLV genetic variability and its implications in tropism as well as in the development of alternative diagnostic assays.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ramírez, H.; Reina, R.; Amorena, B.; Andrés, D.D.; Martínez, H.A. Small Ruminant Lentiviruses: Genetic Variability, Tropism and Diagnosis. Viruses 2013, 5, 1175-1207. https://doi.org/10.3390/v5041175
AMA Style
Ramírez H, Reina R, Amorena B, Andrés DD, Martínez HA. Small Ruminant Lentiviruses: Genetic Variability, Tropism and Diagnosis. Viruses. 2013; 5(4):1175-1207. https://doi.org/10.3390/v5041175
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamírez, Hugo; Reina, Ramsés; Amorena, Beatriz; Andrés, Damián D.; Martínez, Humberto A. 2013. "Small Ruminant Lentiviruses: Genetic Variability, Tropism and Diagnosis" Viruses 5, no. 4: 1175-1207. https://doi.org/10.3390/v5041175
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