Genetic and antigenic changes in porcine rubulavirus.

Blue eye disease, caused by a porcine rubulavirus (PoRV), is an emergent viral swine disease that has been endemic in Mexico since 1980. Atypical outbreaks were detected in 1990 and 2003. Growing and adult pigs presented neurological signs, mild neurological signs were observed in piglets, and severe reproductive problems were observed in adults. Amino acid sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein revealed genetically different lineages. We used cross-neutralization assays, with homologous and heterologous antisera, to determine the antigenic relatedness values for the PoRV isolates. We found antigenic changes among several strains and identified a highly divergent one, making up a new serogroup. It seems that genetically and antigenically different PoRV strains are circulating simultaneously in the swine population in the geographical region studied. The cross neutralization studies suggest that the HN is not the only antigenic determinant participating in the antigenic changes among the different PoRV strains.