Molecular cloning of serogroup- and serotype-specific genome segments from bluetongue virus serotype 11.

Genome segments 2, 6, 8, and 9 of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 11, coding for P2, NS1, NS2, and P6, respectively, were cloned into pUC 8. Sizes of segment-2 and segment-6 clones indicated partial copies (55% and 80% of full length, respectively), whereas segment 8 and 9 clones represented full-length copies. Northern blot hybridizations of the clones to the 5 United States BTV prototypic serotypes (2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) revealed segment-2 clone to be serotype-specific to BTV-11, whereas segment 6, 8, and 9 clones were able to detect all serotypes to varying degrees. All clones failed to detect the related orbivirus, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus.