VP2-segment sequence analysis of some isolates of bluetongue virus recovered in the Mediterranean basin during the 1998-2003 outbreak

The complete nucleotide sequences of the VP2 segments of bluetongue virus (BTV) isolates recovered from Italy, Greece and Israel, from 1998 to 2003, were determined. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences, those from related viruses and the South African vaccine strains, were used to determine the probable geographic origin of BTV incursions into Italy. Results indicated that viruses from each of the four serotypes isolated in Italy (2, 4, 9 and 16) possibly had a different origin. Analysis of the bluetongue virus serotype 2 (BTV-2) isolates gave evidence that this serotype probably moved from Tunisia. BTV-4 results showed probable incursion from the southwest and not from Greece or Israel. BTV-9 isolates clearly have an eastern origin (most probably Greece), whereas BTV-16 isolates are indistinguishable from the BTV-16 live attenuated vaccine strain. The phylogenetic findings were supported by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis of the complete amplified genome of each isolate except for BTV-16 Italian field isolate, which showed a slightly different PAGE profile. A combination of the complete VP2 sequencing and PAGE analysis of complete genomes, allowed not only phylogenetic analysis, but also vaccine detection and assessment of reassortment events.     

BTV-16四结构蛋白的共表达与病毒样颗粒的制备

目前疫苗免疫是预防蓝舌病的主要有效手段,蓝舌病病毒样颗粒(VLPs)疫苗是蓝舌病疫苗研究的热点之一.为了制备蓝舌病病毒血清16型(BTV-16)病毒样颗粒,研究对载体pFastBac-Dual进行了改造,使其具有4个独立启动子的多克隆位点.依次将BTV-16 VP2、VP5、VP3和VP7基因插入到改造后载体(pF4)...     

Immunization with recombinant alpha toxin partially protects broiler chicks against experimental challenge with Clostridium perfringens

This study described the first report of BTV-16 in Croatia. Serological evidence occurred in cattle at the end of September and continued during October and November 2004. All positive animals were in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, a region located in the southernmost part of Croatia. BTV-16 infection was also detected in goats and sheep. Apart from few cases reported in Greece between 1999 and 2000, BTV-16 has never been reported in the Balkanic peninsula before. The BTV strain was isolated from cattle blood samples and typed as BTV-16. When the S5 was sequenced, it showed 100% homology with the BTV-16 vaccine isolate produced by Ondersterpoort Biological Product (SA) and used in Italy during the 2004 BT vaccination campaign. On the other hand no complete homology was found when the same RNA segment sequence was compared with that of the homologous Italian field isolate. As no evidence of livestock movements from Italy was demonstrated, an eolic transmission of the infection through infected Culicoides was hypothesised. According to the local meteostations, in several occasions, during the 2004 summer months, the west–east breeze blew with a speed above 50 km/h from Italy towards the Dubrovnik County. It is concluded that the BTV-16 which infected Croatian livestock was similar to the homologous OBP vaccine isolate and it is likely that it was introduced from Italy into the Southern regions of Croatia through infected Culicoides carried by the wind.     

Assessment of efficacy of a bivalent BTV-2 and BTV-4 inactivated vaccine by vaccination and challenge in cattle

The efficacy of a bivalent inactivated vaccine against bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes 2 (BTV-2) and 4 (BTV-4) was evaluated in cattle by general and local examination, serological follow-up, and challenge. Thirty-two 4-month-old calves were randomly allocated into 2 groups of 16 animals each. One group was vaccinated subcutaneously (s/c) with two injections of bivalent inactivated vaccine at a 28-day interval, and the second group was left unvaccinated and used as control. Sixty-five days after first vaccination, 8 vaccinated and 8 unvaccinated calves were s/c challenged with 1 mL of 6.2 Log10 TCID50/mL of an Italian field isolate of BTV serotype 2, while the remaining 8 vaccinated and 8 unvaccinated animals were challenged by 1 mL of 6.2 Log10 TCID50/mL of an Italian field isolate of BTV serotype 4. Three additional calves were included in the study and used as sentinels to confirm that no BTV was circulating locally. At the time of the challenge, only one vaccinated animal did not have neutralizing antibodies against BTV-4, while the remaining 15 showed titres of at least 1:10 for either BTV-2 or BTV-4. However, the BTV-2 component of the inactivated vaccine elicited a stronger immune response in terms of both the number of virus neutralization (VN) positive animals and antibody titres. After challenge, no animal showed signs of disease. Similarly, none of the vaccinated animals developed detectable viraemia while bluetongue virus serotype 2 and 4 titres were detected in the circulating blood of all unvaccinated animals, commencing on day 3 post-challenge and lasting 16 days. It is concluded that administration of the bivalent BTV-2 and BTV-4 inactivated vaccine resulted in a complete prevention of detectable viraemia in all calves when challenged with high doses of BTV-2 or BTV-4.     

Vaccines against bluetongue in Europe

After the incursion of bluetongue virus (BTV) into European Mediterranean countries in 1998, vaccination was used in an effort to minimize direct economic losses to animal production, reduce virus circulation and allow safe movements of animals from endemic areas. Vaccination strategies in different countries were developed according to their individual policies, the geographic distribution of the incurring serotypes of BTV and the availability of appropriate vaccines. Four monovalent modified live virus (MLV) vaccines were imported from South Africa and subsequently used extensively in both cattle and sheep. MLVs were found to be immunogenic and capable of generating strong protective immunity in vaccinated ruminants. Adverse side effects were principally evident in sheep. Specifically, some vaccinated sheep developed signs of clinical bluetongue with fever, facial oedema and lameness. Lactating sheep that developed fever also had reduced milk production. More severe clinical signs occurred in large numbers of sheep that were vaccinated with vaccine combinations containing the BTV-16 MLV, and the use of the monovalent BTV-16 MLV was discontinued as a consequence. Abortion occurred in <0.5% of vaccinated animals. The length of viraemia in sheep and cattle that received MLVs did not exceed 35 days, with the single notable exception of a cow vaccinated with a multivalent BTV-2, -4, -9 and -16 vaccine in which viraemia persisted at least 78 days. Viraemia of sufficient titre to infect Culicoides insects was observed transiently in MLV-vaccinated ruminants, and natural transmission of MLV strains has been confirmed. An inactivated vaccine was first developed against BTV-2 and used in the field. An inactivated vaccine against BTV-4 as well as a bivalent vaccine against serotypes 2 and 4 were subsequently developed and used in Corsica, Spain, Portugal and Italy. These inactivated vaccines were generally safe although on few occasions reactions occurred at the site of inoculation. Two doses of these BTV inactivated vaccines provided complete, long-lasting immunity against both clinical signs and viraemia, whereas a single immunization with the BTV-4 inactivated vaccine gave only partial reduction of viraemia in vaccinated cattle when challenged with the homologous BTV serotype. Additional BTV inactivated vaccines are currently under development, as well as new generation vaccines including recombinant vaccines.     

A two year BTV-8 vaccination follow up: molecular diagnostics and assessment of humoral and cellular immune reactions

The compulsory vaccination campaign against Bluetongue virus serotype eight (BTV-8) in Germany was exercised in the state of Bavaria using three commercial monovalent inactivated vaccines given provisional marketing authorisation for emergency use. In eleven Bavarian farms representing a cross sectional area of the state the immune reactions of sheep and cattle were followed over a two year period (2008-2009) using cELISA, a serum neutralisation test (SNT) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) ELISPOT. For molecular diagnostics of BTV genome presence two recommended real time quantitative RT-PCR protocols were applied. The recommended vaccination scheme led to low or even undetectable antibody titers (ELISA) in serum samples of both cattle and sheep. A fourfold increase of the vaccine dose in cattle, however, induced higher ELISA titers and virus neutralising antibodies. Accordingly, repeated vaccination in sheep caused an increase in ELISA-antibody titers. BTV-8 neutralising antibodies occurred in most animals only after multiple vaccinations in the second year of the campaign. The secretion of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in ELISPOT after in vitro re-stimulation of PBMC of BTV-8 vaccinated animals with BTV was evaluated in the field for the first time. Sera of BTV-8 infected or vaccinated animals neutralising BTV-8 could also neutralise an Italian BTV serotype 1 cell culture adapted strain and PBMC of such animals secreted IFN-γ when stimulated with BTV-1.     

Molecular epidemiology of bluetongue virus in Portugal during 2004-2006 outbreak

After 44 years of epidemiological silence, bluetongue virus (BTV) was reintroduced in Portugal in the autumn of 2004. The first clinical cases of bluetongue disease (BT) were notified in sheep farms located in the South of Portugal, close to the Spanish border. A total of six BTV, five of serotype 4 and one of serotype 2 were isolated from sheep and cattle during the 2004-2006 epizootics. The nucleotide sequence of gene segments L2, S7 and S10 of BTV-4 prototype strain (BTV4/22045/PT04) obtained from the initial outbreak and of BTV-2 (BTV2/26629/PT05) was fully determined and compared with those from other parts of the world. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that BTV4/22045/PT04 is related to other BTV-4 strains that circulate in the Mediterranean basin since 1998, showing the highest identity (99%) with BTV-4 isolates of 2003 from Sardinia and Corsica, whereas BTV2/26629/PT05 is almost indistinguishable from the Onderstepoort BTV-2 live-attenuated vaccine strain and its related field strain isolated in Italy. Since live-attenuated BTV-2 vaccine was never used in Portugal, the isolation of this strain may represent a natural circulation of the vaccine virus used in other countries in Mediterranean Europe.     

云南江城蓝舌病病毒16型毒株分离鉴定及其L2基因序列分析

为了解近年来云南江城县蓝舌病病毒16型（Bluetongue virus type 16,BTV-16）毒株的流行情况及其L2基因与国外流行株的遗传进化关系,本研究将江城县送检的300份牛肝素钠抗凝血提取红细胞后静脉接种10日龄鸡胚,将收集的鸡胚肝脏捣碎离心,上清液接种于C6/36和BHK21细胞传代。针对出现细胞病变的样品,应用群特异性VP7片段引物进行RT-PCR检测,应用BTV-16 L2基因特异性引物对检测出的BTV核酸阳性样品进行RT-PCR扩增和测序,采用DNAStar和Mega 6.0软件对获得的L2基因编码区序列进行核苷酸、氨基酸同源性比对及遗传进化分析,同时利用BTV-16标准阳性血清对分离到的病毒进行中和试验鉴定。结果显示,江城县发现30个可致细胞病变的样品,其中17个样品经RT-PCR初步确认为BTV;经L2基因序列分析和中和试验鉴定,确定其中6株为BTV-16型毒株;核苷酸、氨基酸同源性比对分析结果显示,6个毒株核苷酸和氨基酸同源性分别在93.4%~98.0%和94.2%~99.1%之间;遗传进化分析发现,其中5株与2001-2008年日本及1982-2011年印度分离的BTV-16毒株亲缘关系较近;1株与1985-1990年日本分离的BTV-16毒株亲缘关系较近。本研究发现,云南江城县BTV-16毒株呈现新旧毒株交叉持续流行态势,但在自然进化中遗传变异不大,有一定的稳定性,本研究在分子水平阐明了云南江城县地方流行BTV-16 L2基因间的遗传和差异,为进一步开展BTV分子流行病学及检测研究提供科学依据。     

An inactivated vaccine for the control of bluetongue virus serotype 16 infection in sheep in Italy

Because no suitable products are at the moment available to safely control the spread of BTV-16 in Europe, an inactivated vaccine was produced from the reference field isolate of bluetongue virus serotype 16. One group of six sheep was vaccinated subcutaneously with the inactivated vaccine twice, on days 0 and 28, whereas a second group of eight sheep was inoculated with saline solution and used as mock-vaccinated control animals. Seventy-eight days after the first vaccination, all sheep were inoculated subcutaneously with a suspension containing 10(6.3) TCID(50) of a virulent reference BTV-16 isolate. Apart from a transient inflammatory reaction at the injection site, no adverse effects were reported following vaccination. All vaccinated animals developed high titres (7.3-9.3log(2)(ED50%/50 microl)) of virus-specific neutralising antibodies and were resistant to challenge with BTV-16. Conversely, following challenge, control animals developed hyperthermia and long lasting high-titre viraemia.     

Vesicular stomatitis virus replicon expressing the VP2 outer capsid protein of bluetongue virus serotype 8 induces complete protection of sheep against challenge infection

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arthropod-borne pathogen that causes an often fatal, hemorrhagic disease in ruminants. Different BTV serotypes occur throughout many temperate and tropical regions of the world. In 2006, BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) emerged in Central and Northern Europe for the first time. Although this outbreak was eventually controlled using inactivated virus vaccines, the epidemic caused significant economic losses not only from the disease in livestock but also from trade restrictions. To date, BTV vaccines that allow simple serological discrimination of infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA) have not been approved for use in livestock. In this study, we generated recombinant RNA replicon particles based on single-cycle vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vectors. Immunization of sheep with infectious VSV replicon particles expressing the outer capsid VP2 protein of BTV-8 resulted in induction of BTV-8 serotype-specific neutralizing antibodies. After challenge with a virulent BTV-8 strain, the vaccinated animals neither developed signs of disease nor showed viremia. In contrast, immunization of sheep with recombinant VP5 - the second outer capsid protein of BTV - did not confer protection. Discrimination of infected from vaccinated animals was readily achieved using an ELISA for detection of antibodies against the VP7 antigen. These data indicate that VSV replicon particles potentially represent a safe and efficacious vaccine platform with which to control future outbreaks by BTV-8 or other serotypes, especially in previously non-endemic regions where discrimination between vaccinated and infected animals is crucial.     

Neutralizing antibody responses to bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotypes in beef cattle

Blood samples were obtained from sentinel beef cattle at monthly intervals, and the sera were tested for antibodies, using a bluetongue virus (BTV) immunodiffusion test (IDT) and virus-neutralization test (VNT), for 5 BTV serotypes (2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) and 2 epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serotypes (1 and 2). The cattle tested were transported from Tennessee to Texas in 1984 and 1985. All cattle were seronegative by the BTV IDT at the initial bleeding in Texas in 1984 and 1985. In 1984, 16 of 40 (40%) cattle seroconverted as assessed by results of the BTV IDT. In the 16 seropositive cattle in 1984, neutralizing antibodies were detected to BTV serotypes 10 (n = 7), 11 (n = 3), and 17 (n = 11), and EHDV serotypes 1 (n = 1) and 2 (n = 7). In 1984, no cattle seroconverted to BTV-2 or BTV-13. In 1985, 10 of 36 (27.8%) cattle seroconverted as assessed by results of the IDT. Of the 10 seropositive cattle in 1985, neutralizing antibodies were detected to BTV serotypes 10 (n = 10), 11 (n = 10), 13 (n = 7), and 17 (n = 5), and EHDV serotypes 1 (n = 1) and 2 (n = 7). In 1985, no cattle seroconverted to BTV-2. Clinical diseases attributable to BTV or EHDV was not detected in these cattle in 1984 or 1985.     

Clinical syndromes associated with the circulation of multiple serotypes of bluetongue virus in dairy cattle in Israel

From 2008 to 2011, seven distinct bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes (BTV-2, BTV-4, BTV-5, BTV-8, BTV-15, BTV-16 and BTV-24) have been identified to be circulating in diseased sheep and cattle in Israel. This paper describes the array of clinical manifestations caused by BTV in cattle in Israel. Each set of clinical manifestations has been categorised as a syndrome and six distinct clinical syndromes have been observed in dairy cattle: 'footrot-like syndrome', 'sore nose syndrome', 'subcutaneous emphysema syndrome', 'red/rough udder syndrome', 'bluetongue/epizootic haemorrhagic disease systemic syndrome' and 'maladjustment syndrome'.     

Effect of an inactivated bluetongue serotype 8 vaccine on semen quality in rams

The aim of this study was to determine whether a single dose of an inactivated bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) vaccine altered semen quality in rams. Twenty sexually mature rams were assigned to three experimental groups: two groups of four animals were vaccinated and a third group of four animals was unvaccinated. The first group included rams with a history of natural BTV-8 infection in 2007 and the second and third groups included BTV-8 na?ve rams. Semen was collected prior to vaccination and for 4months post-vaccination. There were no significant differences in semen quality traits, including motility and concentration of spermatozoa, and percentages of living, normal dead and abnormal dead spermatozoa, between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, or over time (P>0.05). The BTV-8 vaccine tested in this study did not appear to have any adverse effect on semen quality in rams.     

Differentiation of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae strains by nucleotide sequence analysis of a hypervariable region in the spaA gene: discrimination of a live vaccine strain from field isolates.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes erysipelas in swine and is considered a reemerging disease contributing substantially to economic losses in the swine industry. Since an attenuated live vaccine was commercialized in 1974 in Japan, outbreaks of acute septicemia or subacute urticaria of erysipelas have decreased dramatically. In contrast, a chronic form of erysipelas found during meat inspections in slaughterhouses has been increasing. In this study, a new strain-typing method was developed based on nucleotide sequencing of a hypervariable region in the surface protective antigen (spaA) gene for discrimination of the live vaccine strain from field isolates. Sixteen strains isolated from arthritic lesions found in slaughtered pigs were segregated into 4 major patterns: 1) identical nucleotide sequence with the vaccine strain: 3 isolates; 2) 1 nucleotide substitution (C to A) at position 555: 5 isolates; 3) 1 nucleotide substitution at various positions: 5 isolates; and 4) 2 nucleotide substitutions: 3 isolates. Isolates with the same nucleotide sequence as the vaccine strain were further characterized by other properties, including the mouse pathogenicity test. One strain isolated from pigs on a farm where the live vaccine had been used was found to be closely related to the vaccine strain. The phylogenetic tree constructed based on the spaA sequence suggests that the evolutionary distance of the isolates is related to the pathogenicity in mice. The new strain-typing system based on nucleotide sequencing of the spaA region is useful to discriminate the vaccine strain from field isolates.     

Transplacental transmission of field and rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in experimentally infected sheep

Transplacental transmission of bluetongue virus has been shown previously for the North European strain of serotype 8 (BTV-8) and for tissue culture or chicken egg-adapted vaccine strains but not for field strains of other serotypes. In this study, pregnant ewes (6 per group) were inoculated with either field or rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in order to determine the ability of these viruses to cross the placental barrier. The field BTV-2 and BTV-8 strains was passaged once in Culicoides KC cells and once in mammalian cells. All virus inoculated sheep became infected and seroconverted against the different BTV strains used in this study. BTV RNA was detectable in the blood of all but two ewes for over 28 days but infectious virus could only be detected in the blood for a much shorter period. Interestingly, transplacental transmission of BTV-2 (both field and rescued strains) was demonstrated at high efficiency (6 out of 13 lambs born to BTV-2 infected ewes) while only 1 lamb of 12 born to BTV-8 infected ewes showed evidence of in utero infection. In addition, evidence for horizontal transmission of BTV-2 between ewes was observed. As expected, the parental BTV-2 and BTV-8 viruses and the viruses rescued by reverse genetics showed very similar properties to each other. This study showed, for the first time, that transplacental transmission of BTV-2, which had been minimally passaged in cell culture, can occur; hence such transmission might be more frequent than previously thought.     

Analysis of the genomes of bluetongue virus serotype 10 vaccines and a recent BTV-10 isolate from Washington

The 10 double-stranded RNA gene segments of 2 vaccinal strains of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 10 that are used in the United States (BTV CA8 California and BT-8 Colorado), and a BTV-10 isolate recently obtained from infected sheep in Washington (state) were characterized by oligonucleotide fingerprint analyses. It was determined that although the 2 BTV-10 vaccinal strains are genotypically distinct, they are closely related both to each other and to the United States prototype BTV-10 virus. The BTV-10 field isolate appears to be a naturally occurring reassortment virus with genome segments derived from both United States prototype BTV-10 and BTV-11 viruses. However, one RNA segment of the isolate was totally unlike the corresponding segments of United States prototype BTV-10, -11, -13 and -17 viruses.     

Variation amongst the neutralizing epitopes of bluetongue viruses isolated in the United States in 1979-1981.

Neutralizing epitopes present on field isolates of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes 10, 11, 13 and 17 were evaluated with a panel of polyclonal and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). A total of 91 field isolates were evaluated, including 15 isolates of BTV-10, 29 isolates of BTV-11, 26 isolates of BTV-13, and 21 isolates of BTV-17. The viruses were isolated from cattle, goats, sheep, elk and deer in Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska and, predominantly, California, in the years 1979, 1980 and 1981. The isolates were analyzed and compared using a panel of neutralizing MAbs which included five MAbs raised against BTV-2, seven against BTV-10, five against BTV-13, and six against BTV-17. Neutralization patterns obtained with the MAb panel and individual field isolates were compared to those obtained with prototype viruses of each serotype. All field isolates were neutralized by at least some of the MAbs raised against the prototype virus of the same serotype. All field isolates of BTV-10 were neutralized by the seven MAbs raised to BTV-10, whereas the field isolates of BTV-11, BTV-13 and BTV-17 were not consistently neutralized by all of the MAbs raised against the prototype virus of the same serotype. Variation in neutralizing epitopes recognized by the MAb panel was most pronounced amongst the field isolates of BTV-17. A one-way cross neutralization was evident between BTV-10 and BTV-17 as all field isolates of BTV-17 were neutralized by four of the MAbs raised against BTV-10. In contrast, no BTV-10 isolates were neutralized by the MAbs raised against BTV-17. Differences in the MAb neutralization patterns of field isolates of BTV-11, BTV-13 and BTV-17 suggest that the immunogenic domain responsible for their neutralization is plastic, such that individual epitopes within the domain may vary in their significance to the neutralization of different viruses, even of the same serotype. The apparent conservation of neutralizing epitopes on field isolates of BTV-10 suggests that the field isolates may be derived from the modified-live vaccine strain of BTV-10.     

The measurement of three cytokine transcripts in naïve and sensitized ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells following in vitro stimulation with bluetongue virus serotype-23

Bluetongue (BT), a serious disease of sheep and some wild ruminants, is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), a member of the family, Reoviridae. The current research thrust for controlling BT is on development of efficient vaccines, necessitating clear understanding of ovine immunology. At present, comparative studies on cytokine gene expression profiles of na?ve and BTV-sensitized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in sheep have not been clearly understood. In the present study, PBMC from na?ve and BEI-inactivated-saponin-adjuvanted BTV-1 vaccinated sheep were stimulated in vitro with heterologous BTV-23. At various intervals, RT-qPCR was carried out to estimate cytokine (interferon-gamma, interleukin-12 and interleukin-2) mRNA expressions that are linked to cell-mediated immunity. The results showed that PBMC cytokine profiles were relatively increased both temporally and quantitatively in immunized sheep PBMC compared to na?ve ones, suggesting that BTV-1 vaccination may prime immune system that can cross-react with BTV-23 antigens.     

Prokaryotic Expression and Immunoreactivity Analysis of VP2 Protein of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 1

The study was aimed to test the immunoreactivity of the VP2 protein of bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1) in vitro. Based on the published BTV-1 L2 gene of Y863 strain, specific cloning PCR primers were designed and synthesized. The L2 gene was amplified through RT-PCR method and then was purified and cloned into the expressing vector pEASY-Blunt E1. The cloned recombinant plasmids were identified. The positive recombinant L2 plasmid was cloned into BL21(DE3) competent cells to express VP2 protein. The acquired purified recombinant BTV-1 VP2 protein was analyzed through the methods of Western blotting, ELISA and blocking ELISA. The results showed that:BTV-1 VP2 protein was expressed as the inclusion bodies in the pEASY-Blunt E1 vector; 160 and 200 mmol/L glyoxaline were the best condition to wash down the expressed protein. The molecular weight of this purified recombinant protein with N-terminal His-tag was about 105 ku. Through the results of Western blotting, ELISA and blocking ELISA, it had been proved that this recombinant protein could combine with BTV-1 specific antibody and this combination could be blocked by BTV-1 virus. The study showed that the recombinant BTV-1 VP2 protein, expressed through the prokaryotic expression vector pEASY-Blunt E1, possessed good immunoreactivity and this study had established foundation for locating the serotypic epitopes of the BTV-1 VP2 protein.