Sequence variation divides Equine rhinitis B virus into three distinct phylogenetic groups that correlate with serotype and acid stability.

Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV), genus Erbovirus, family Picornaviridae, occurs as two serotypes, ERBV1 and ERBV2, and the few isolates previously tested were acid labile. Of 24 ERBV1 isolates tested in the studies reported here, 19 were acid labile and five were acid stable. The two available ERBV2 isolates, as expected, were acid labile. Nucleotide sequences of the P1 region encoding the capsid proteins VP1, VP2, VP3 and VP4 were determined for five acid-labile and three acid-stable ERBV1 isolates and one acid-labile ERBV2 isolate. The sequences were aligned with the published sequences of the prototype acid-labile ERBV1.1436/71 and the prototype ERBV2.313/75. The three acid-stable ERBV1 were closely related in a phylogenetic group that was distinct from the group of six acid-labile ERBV1, which were also closely related to each other. The two acid-labile ERBV2 formed a third distinct group. One acid-labile ERBV1 had a chimeric acid-labile/acid-stable ERBV1 P1 sequence, presumably because of a recombination event within VP2 and this was supported by SimPlot analysis. ERBV1 rabbit antiserum neutralized acid-stable and acid-labile ERBV1 isolates similarly. Accordingly, three distinct phylogenetic groups of erboviruses exist that are consistent with serotype and acid stability phenotypes.