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Updated: Oct 21, 2025
In Vitro Selection of Aptamers to Differentiate Infectious from Non-Infectious Viruses
Published on: September 7, 2022
Selective isolation of foot-and-mouth disease virus from coinfected samples containing more than one serotype
Sonalika Mahajan1,2, Gaurav Kumar Sharma3,4, Saravanan Subramaniam5
1ICAR-Project Directorate On Foot and Mouth Disease, Mukteswar, Uttarakhand, 263138, India. sonalikam1@gmail.com.
Abstract:
The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a highly infectious disease of all cloven-footed animals. The RNA genome of the virus continuously evolves, leading to the generation of new strains; this necessitates the selection of new vaccine strains to ensure complete protection. Infection with one FMDV serotype does not provide cross-protection against the other FMDV serotypes. Many of the recovered animals may become carriers of the FMDV, but they still remain susceptible to the other serotypes. Coinfection with multiple FMDV serotypes has been reported and studied to understand the virus evolution. Isolation and characterization of all the involved serotypes in the mixed infection case is essential to understand the molecular evolution of the virus. In this study, two cases of coinfection were studied by selective isolation of each of the FMDV serotypes under the cross-serotype-specific immune pressure. It was estimated that the virus present in a minimum of 10-0.92 TCID50 could be isolated from the mixed population containing other serotypes in infective doses of 100.25 TCID50 or less. All involved serotypes present in the mixed infection cases were isolated, without any cross-contamination. Virus characterization revealed that genotype 2 was of serotype A virus from a sample collected in 1995, which was last reported in 1986, indicating a possible subdued prevalence of the genetic group even after vanishing from the field.
Insights
This study successfully isolated multiple foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes from coinfected animals, crucial for understanding virus evolution and developing effective vaccines against this infectious disease.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Dynamics
Background:
- Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes significant economic losses in cloven-footed animals.
- FMDV exhibits continuous genomic evolution, necessitating updated vaccine strains.
- Lack of cross-protection between FMDV serotypes and carrier states complicate disease management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize individual FMDV serotypes from coinfection cases.
- To understand the molecular evolution of FMDV during mixed infections.
- To develop methods for selective isolation of FMDV serotypes under immune pressure.
Main Methods:
- Selective isolation of FMDV serotypes from mixed populations using cross-serotype-specific immune pressure.
- Quantitative analysis of virus isolation efficiency from mixed infections.
- Virus characterization, including genotyping and serotyping.
Main Results:
- Successful isolation of all involved FMDV serotypes from two coinfection cases without cross-contamination.
- Demonstrated efficient isolation of FMDV even at low concentrations (minimum 10-0.92 TCID50) in mixed populations.
- Identified a genotype 2, serotype A virus from 1995, suggesting potential persistent low-level circulation of this genetic group.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a robust method for isolating FMDV serotypes from coinfections, essential for molecular evolution studies.
- Findings highlight the importance of comprehensive surveillance and characterization of FMDV strains.
- The identification of an older genotype indicates the need for ongoing monitoring of FMDV genetic diversity.
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