Association of two clusters of Orf virus isolates in outbreaks of infection in goat in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey.

Orf virus (ORFV) is the etiological agent of contagious pustular dermatitis and can cause skin disease in sheep and goats. In this study, two outbreaks of ORFV infection in goats in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey were investigated. Samples were collected from 1- to 4-month-old kids (n = 9) in two different flocks in the Aksaray and Konya Provinces during the months of March and May 2016. The presence of ORFV in suspected samples was confirmed by PCR using primers specific to envelope gene (B2L). The analysis of the B2L gene sequences revealed that the nucleotide homology between the two isolates in the present study was 100%, whereas the similarity with Parapoxvirus isolates from different regions ranged from 83.6 to 99%. Phylogenetic analysis of the B2L gene revealed that there are two main clusters of ORFV isolates which were responsible for past outbreaks in Turkey. The information presented here will provide an insight into genetic diversity of field isolates of ORFV circulating in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey.