Pathogenesis of Bluetongue Disease

Abstract

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an important arthropod-borne virus that causes viral haemorrhagic disease in European adapted sheep. Scientific investigation of the pathogenic processes involved in bluetongue (BT) disease manifestation has been compromised by limitations in two key areas: (i) the detection of BTV antigens by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin-fixed tissues has frequently proved to be problematic; and (ii) the choice between animal-derived virus or cell culture-passaged virus for use in experimental infection of animals remains contentious. In this study, BTV-specific antibodies NS1, NS2 and NS3/3a and VP7 were evaluated for use in IHC on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFP..