Isolation and sequence analysis of the complete H gene of canine distemper virus from domestic dogs in Henan Province, China

Liu, Yuxiu; Liu, Caihong; Liu, Wujie; Wu, Hongchao; Ding, Hangtian; Cao, Yujiao; Spibey, Norman; Wang, Linxiao; He, Wenxi; Hao, Liying; Li, Xiangdong; Tian, Kegong

Eighteen canine distemper virus (CDV) isolates were obtained from clinical samples in Henan province, China, between 2012 and 2016. These viruses could not be recognized by 1A4, a monoclonal antibody specific for the H protein of CDV vaccine strains. The complete haemagglutinin (H) genes of all 18 isolates were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis showed that they segregated into two clusters within the Asia-1 genotype. Moreover, the H genes of four viruses were found to lack a potential N-glycosylation site at position 309, which is the most conserved site within the Asia-1 genotype of CDV, and a novel potential N-glycosylation site (amino acids 517–519) was found in strain HL013, which has not been reported previously. These results will help in achieving a better understanding of the evolution of CDV in China. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00705-019-04298-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.