Characterisation of orbiviruses of the Kemerovo serogroup: comparison of protein and RNA profiles.

Nine viruses of the Kemerovo serogroup (orbivirus genus; family, Reoviridae) isolated from seabird ticks (Ixodes uriae and Ornithodoros maritimus) from eight different geographical locations (four from Scotland, two from Morocco, one from Eire, one from England, one from the Faeroes Islands) were examined. All nine viruses produced unique RNA electropherotypes but showed a 2 : 4 : 3 : 1 grouping of the ten double-stranded RNA segments. The virus-induced proteins were labelled with 35S-methionine in a Vero cell line. Seven of the viruses isolated from Ixodes uriae produced similar profiles of nine major polypeptides. The remaining two viruses, isolated from Ornithodoros maritimus from Morocco, produced profiles in which only five major viral proteins could be readily detected, four of which had similar molecular weights to proteins apparent in the other isolates.