Comparison of Schmallenberg virus sequences isolated from mammal host and arthropod vector

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is the member of Peribunyaviridae family, which comprises pathogens of importance for human and veterinary medicine. The virus is transmitted only between animals and mainly by biting midges of the genus Culicoides. This study was performed in order to determine SBV genetic diversity and elucidate the host–vector adaptation. All three viral segments were analysed for sequence variability and phylogenetic relations. The Polish SBV strains obtained from acute infections of cattle, congenital cases in sheep, and from Culicoides midges were sequenced using Sanger and next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods. The obtained sequences were genetically similar (99.2–100% identity) to the first-detected strain BH80/11—4 from German cattle. The sampling year and origin of Polish sequences had no effect on molecular diversity of SBV. Considering all analysed Polish as well as European sequences, ovine-derived sequences were the most variable, while the midge ones were more conserved and encompassed unique substitutions located mainly in nonstructural protein S. SBV sequences isolated from Culicoides are the first submitted to GenBank and reported.