Identification of bovine enteric Caliciviruses (BEC) from cattle in Baden-Württemberg.

Caliciviruses are known to cause different diseases in many animal species. The bovine enteric caliciviruses (BEC) are associated with diarrhoea in cattle. These viruses have been classified in the genus Norovirus and are closely related to human noroviruses, the leading cause of gastroenteritis in humans. This has raised questions about zoonotic transmission and an animal reservoir for the human viruses. Two samples from 41 stool samples collected for diagnostic purposes from diarrheic cattle in Aulendorf, Germany tested positive for BEC. The samples were amplified with new degenerate BEC specific primers, which amplify a 263 bp portion of the RNA polymerase region. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed that these viruses are most closely related to the Norovirus genogroup III/2 (Bo/NLV/Newbury-2/76/UK) viruses.