Abstract
Objective The objectives were to isolate the Chinese G8 sheep rotavirus and to study some of its genotypic characteristics, to provide basic information for the epidemiological pathology of sheep rotavirus and to provide key biological materials for the study of its pathogenic mechanism. Methods In 2023, anal swabs and small intestinal samples were collected from sheep with clinical manifestations of diarrhea at a Gansu sheep farm. Using RT-PCR, tissue sections, and virus isolation and identification methods, viral infections were investigated in sheep. Results RT-PCR and small intestinal immunohistochemistry confirmed rotavirus infection in the sheep. Rotavirus isolation in MA-104 cells revealed typical cytopathic lesions by the 10th blind transmission generation. Positively identification through indirect immunofluorescence and observation of characteristic 70 nm-sized rotavirus particles in transmission electron microscopy further supported the findings. The capsid protein VP7 and nonstructural protein NSP4 genotypes were identified as G8 and E2, respectively, making the first detection of the G8-type rotavirus in sheep in China. Conclusion This study successfully isolated G8-type sheep rotavirus for the first time in China, contributing valuable date for molecular epidemiological research on sheep rotavirus and providing essential biological materials for further investigations on its pathogenic mechanisms.