Isolation, molecular characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of encephalomyocarditis virus from South China tigers in China

- We described the first occurrence of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) from South China tigers in China.
- The EMCV isolate related closely with Chinese isolates from pig.
- Animal experiments showed that the isolate was fatal and caused clinical symptoms and pathological changes.
- The study expends the species range for fatal EMCV infection, providing new epidemiologic data on EMCV in China.

Although encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) can infect many host species and cause myocarditis and sudden death in many species, little is known about EMCV infection in tigers. A virus was isolated from organs of dead South China tigers with sudden death in southern China. The production of cytopathic effect on BHK cells, and the results of PCR, electron microscopy (EM), and whole genome sequencing indicated that the pathogen was EMCV, the strain was named FJ13. Other pathogenic agents were excluded as possible pathogenic agents. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome, ORF (open reading frame) and CCR (capsid coding region) using the neighbour-joining method revealed that EMCV isolates cluster into two groups (group 1 and 2) with two sub-clusters within group 1 (group 1a and 1b), and FJ13 belongs to group 1a. Animal experiment showed that the isolated strain FJ13 could cause clinical symptoms and pathological changes. The results of this study indicated that FJ13 caused myocarditis of tigers and provided new epidemiologic data on EMCV in China.