Triagem molecular de rotavírus e coronavírus em potros com diarreia em haras de Bagé - RS

Abstract

Diarrhea deserves a prominent role among the diseases that affect foals, as they can cause damage to intestinal villi compromising the development, and often resulting in the death of these animals. These can occur individually or in outbreaks in herds, may be caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites. An accurate and agile diagnosis is essential for the treatment to be effective and thus avoid damage to the animal's life and to the breeding. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of rotavirus and equine coronavirus in stool samples from foals with diarrhea, collected from stud farms in Bagé/RS, Brazil, during the time from July to December 2019. Stool samples from foals with diarrhea and their mothers were sent to Setor de Virologia of Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (SV/UFSM) for RNA and RT-PCR extraction. For this will be done the viral RNA extraction from the samples, the preparation of cDNA through reverse transcription followed by PCR reactions to amplify conserved genomic regions of these agents: non-structural protein genes (NSP5 - ERV), nucleoprotein (N – ECoV), and reading on agarose gel subjected to electrophoresis. It was possible to detect genomic sequences of equine rotavirus in the feces of three foals, and one of these had its product sent for nucleotide sequencing, which showed high similarity with other ERV sequences available in GenBank, confirming the identity of the product.With this study, we sought to identify the presence of rotavirus and coronavirus in foals with diarrhea in studs in Bagé/RS, for the later establishment of control measures and prophylaxis.