Prevalence and distribution of Peste des petits ruminants virus antibodies in various districts of Tanzania

Despite the widespread prevalence of infection with Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) in goats and sheep industry in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, there have been few, if any, structured population-based studies examining the epidemiology of this infection in Tanzania. In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence, and risk factors, of Peste des petitis ruminants(PPR) in sheep and goat flocks from seven different geographical administration authorities (Ngorongoro, Monduli, Longido, Karatu, Mbulu, Siha and Simanjiro) located in Northern Tanzania. Serum samples from 657 and 892 sheep and goats, respectively, corresponding to 91 sheep/goat flocks and 43 villages were collected. Competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) was used to detect the presence of antibodies in the serum against PPRV. Chi-square analysis and multivariable logistic regression model were used to identify risk factors for PPRV seropositivity. Findings suggested that the sero-positive cases were significantly higher in goats than in sheep (49.5% versus 39.8%; P = 0.002). The overall seroprevalence of PPRV infection in small ruminants was 45.8%. Highest seroprevalence (42.6–88.02%) was observed in Mbulu, Siha, Longido, Ngorongoro districts, while antibodies less than 40% to none were found in serum from Monduli, Karatu and Simanjiro, respectively. These findings confirm natural transmission of PPRV under field condition for the first time in Tanzania. Results may be correlated with variations in the sheep and goat husbandry practices within different geographic localities, the uncontrolled movement of animals, the levels of natural immunity and the sharing of grazing field amongst agro and pastoralists.     

Sequence Analysis of the Nucleoprotein Gene of Asian Lineage Peste des Petits Ruminants Vaccine Virus

The complete nucleotide sequence of the nucleocapsid (N) protein of the peste-des-petits ruminants vaccine virus (PPRV Sungri/96) belonging to the Asian lineage was determined. The gene was 1692 nucleotides in length and encoded a polypeptide of 525 amino acids. The PPRV Sungri/96 N gene has a nucleotide homology of 92% for PPRV Nigeria 75/1 to 55.5% for canine distemper virus. At amino acid level the homology was 94.1% with PPRV Nigeria 75/1, while with other morbilliviruses, PPRV Sungri/96 had only 71.4–64.9% amino acid identity. The phosphorylation prediction reveals eight conserved sites across morbilliviruses, whereas in the C-terminal portion of the protein the sites are not conserved. Phylogenetic analysis of different N proteins of morbilliviruses revealed five well-defined clusters as observed previously. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report describing the nucleocapsid gene sequence of PPRV Indian isolate. Muthuchelvan, D., Sanyal, A., Balamurugan,V., Dhar, P. and Bandyopadhyay, S.K., 2006. Sequence analysis of the nucleoprotein gene of Asian lineage peste des petits ruminants vaccine virus.Veterinary Research Communications, 30(8), 957–963     

小反刍兽疫的诊断与综合防控措施

小反刍兽疫是由小反刍兽疫病毒引起的一种急性、亚急性传染性疾病,主要感染绵羊、山羊及一些野生小反刍动物,发病率和死亡率均较高,给广大农牧民和养殖场造成巨大的经济损失。因此,对该病的诊断及综合防控措施进行概述,以期为该病的防控提供参考。     

Antiviral efficacy of EICAR against canine distemper virus (CDV) in vitro

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly contagious pathogen of carnivores. In dogs, the disease is characterized by high lethality rates and no specific antiviral therapy is available. The aim of this study was to verify the in vitro antiviral activity of the 5-ethynyl-1-β-d-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide (EICAR) and to compare it with the 1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (ribavirin, RBV).EICAR was more active than RBV against CDV replication, while both molecules exhibited low selectivity indexes. A reversal of their antiviral activity was observed after addition of guanosine, suggesting their involvement in the inhibition of the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase enzyme (IMPDH). RBV and EICAR had a time- and concentration-dependent anti-CDV activity, mainly displayed during the first 10 h post-infection. The involvement of the inhibition of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (vRdRp) is discussed, as well as the role of CDV as a model to study more potent and selective antiviral molecules active against other Paramyxoviridae.     

Analysis of the matrix protein gene sequence of the Asian lineage of peste-des-petits ruminants vaccine virus

The M gene nucleotide sequence of an Indian peste-des-petits ruminants (PPRV) vaccine virus ("PPRV Sungri/96") belonging to Asian lineage was determined. The gene is 1476 nucleotides long with a single open reading frame (ORF). The nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence was compared with the homologous region of the African Lineage Vaccine virus "PPRV/Nigeria/75/1". The nucleotide sequence of the "PPRV Sungri/96" was 86% identical to that of "PPRV/Nigeria/75/1", while a homology of 93% and 95% could be observed in the ORF and amino acids level, respectively. The M gene encodes a protein of 335 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight (MW) of 37.8 kDa. The ORF is flanked by a 3' untranslated region of 436 nucleotides and a high level of sequence divergence (approximately 30%) could be observed in this region between the vaccine viruses of Asian and African lineages. A high degree of conservation of several amino acids of this protein observed previously was also confirmed in this study.     

小反刍兽疫病毒四川简阳株N基因的系统进化分析

为了调查小反刍兽疫病毒四川简阳株(SCJY株)的分子遗传特征,我们对四川简阳发病羊鼻拭子中的小反刍兽疫病毒N基因进行了遗传进化分析。通过RT-PCR、克隆测序获得SCJY株N基因序列,使用DNASTAR软件将其与GenBank中的15条参考株序列进行同源性比对,使用MEGA6软件进行系统进化分析。结果显示:SCJY株N基因序列全长1578nt,与参考株的核苷酸同源性为88.9%～100%,氨基酸同源性为92.8%～100%,与2013～2014年小反刍兽疫中国流行毒株高度同源;系统进化分析将16个毒株N基因划分为4个谱系,SCJY株属于Ⅳ系。     

Evidence of mixed infection of peste des petits ruminants virus and bluetongue virus in a flock of goats as confirmed by detection of antigen, antibody and nucleic acid of both the viruses

A mixed infection with peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) and bluetongue virus (BTV) occurred in goats which exhibited symptoms characteristic of PPR. A number of samples were collected from ailing or dead goats for labrotory diagnosis. Antibody to BTV and PPRV was detected in sera samples by competitive ELISA. No PPRV antigen was detected in tissue samples like lung and spleen, however, presence of PPRV antigen in some sera samples was confirmed by sandwich ELISA. All the blood samples collected from the ailing animals were found positive for BTV antigen by a sandwich ELISA. BTV- and PPRV nucleic acids were amplified from the pooled blood and tissue samples respectively by RT-PCR assays. The identity of the amplicons was confirmed by cloning and sequencing. All these tests confirm that the goats were infected with PPRV and BTV simultaneously. Isolation of viruses from the clinical samples is underway.     

Peste des petits ruminants in wild ungulates

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious viral disease of domestic small ruminants. It also affects wild ungulates but there are comparatively few studies of the incidence of natural infection, clinical signs and pathology, and confirmation of the virus, and in these species. In this article, we list the wild ungulates in which PPRV infection has been confirmed and summarize available information about the presentation of the disease, its identification, and impact of virus on wildlife populations. Considering recent reports of outbreaks by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), it is important to understand the transmission of this disease within wildlife populations in PPR endemic regions.     

Comparative nucleotide sequence analysis of the phosphoprotein gene of peste des petits ruminants vaccine virus of Indian origin

The nucleotide sequences of the phosphoprotein (P) gene of peste des petits ruminants (PPRV) vaccine virus (PPRV Sungri/96) belongs to Asian lineage have been determined and the deduced amino acid sequences were compared with another vaccine strain PPRV/Nigeria75/1 and with those of the other morbilliviruses. The 1652 nucleotides of the P gene encode a phosphoprotein of 509 amino acid residues (from nucleotide numbers 60 to 1587), which is 91% identical to that of PPRV/Nigeria75/1. The C protein consists of 177 amino acid residues and is 91% identical with that of PPRV/Nigeria75/1. The conserved mRNA editing site (5'TTAAAAGGGCACAG) was present at positions 742-756 in the P gene, which is conserved in all other morbilliviruses. The CTT trinucleotide sequence is present at the N/P and P/M intergenic region, which is totally conserved in morbilliviruses. This will be the third sequence for the P gene of PPRV since that of the vaccine strain and a wild-type Turkish isolate has been published already.     

小反刍兽疫病毒N基因在昆虫细胞中的表达

为了研发小反刍兽疫病毒ELISA检测试剂盒中替代全病毒的抗原物质,参照GenBank公布的小反刍兽疫疫苗株Nigeria75/1的全基因组序列(GenBank登录号:X74443),人工合成表达核蛋白的N基因开放阅读框序列,通过PCR扩增、经引物设计引入的EcoRⅠ和KpnⅠ特异性酶切位点,将N基因克隆于昆虫杆状病毒表...     

Serological studies with peste des petits ruminants and rinderpest viruses in Nigeria

One hundred and ninety-five goat and 67 sheep sera collected from various parts of southern Nigeria were screened for neutralising antibodies to both the peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and rinderpest viruses. Neutralising antibodies against both viruses were found in the sheep and goat sera examined. Parallel titration of samples which neutralised both viruses indicated a primary infection with the PPR virus (PPRV). However, some samples which failed to neutralise PPRV neutralised the rinderpest virus (RV) indicating RV activity in sheep and goats in Nigeria. These findings are discussed in relation to the diagnosis of PPRV infection and the recent reappearance of bovine rinderpest in Nigeria.     

基于N基因的小反刍兽疫病毒贵州流行株分子特征与分群研究

为探讨小反刍兽疫病毒（peste des petits ruminants virus,PPRV）贵州流行株N基因分子特征和分群,试验设计了1对特异性引物,应用RT-PCR技术对小反刍兽疫（peste des petits ruminants,PPR）临床样本进行N基因扩增,克隆至pMD19-T载体,对阳性重组质粒进行测序,应用DANStar软件对测序序列和参考序列进行核苷酸同源性、氨基酸同源性、变异位点及系统进化树分析。结果显示：PPRV贵州流行株N基因扩增长度为1 578 bp,其相互间核苷酸、氨基酸同源性分别为99.6%~100.0%及99.2%~100.0%,与国内参考株N基因的核苷酸序列（97.7%~99.9%）及氨基酸序列（98.3%~100.0%）同源性较国外参考株（88.5%~97.7%和92.2%~98.5%）高;PPRV贵州流行株N基因编码的氨基酸同疫苗株Nigeria 75-1相比存在26个位点突变,但没有氨基酸的缺失或增加;基于N基因系统进化分析显示,PPRV贵州流行株同国内参考株处于同一个进化分支,但与国外参考株处于不同进化分支;其属于病毒进化的Ⅳ基因群,与国内参考株处于同一系统分群,但与疫苗株Nigeria 75-1（Ⅰ基因群）处于不同基因群。     

小反刍兽疫分子生物学研究进展

小反刍兽疫(peste des petits ruminants,PPR)是由小反刍兽疫病毒(peste des petits ruminants virus,PPRV)引起的一种急性、烈性、接触性传染病。山羊高度易感;牛、猪等动物也可以感染带毒,野生动物偶有发生。作者主要介绍了小反刍兽疫病毒各基因结构特点,6种结构蛋白的功能,以及小反刍兽疫的诊断技术等方面的最新研究进展。     

Mycophenolic acid in patients with immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases: From humans to dogs

Mycophenolic acid (MPA), a noncompetitive, selective and reversible inhibitor of inosine 5′‐monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), is an immunosuppressive agent that has a long history in medicine. Mechanistically, the inhibition of IMPDH leads to the selective and eventual arrest of T‐ and B‐lymphocyte proliferation. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), the first MPA‐based product to receive marketing approval over two decades ago, was originally indicated for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in human transplant patients. Given its broad immunosuppressive properties and ability to selectively inhibit lymphocyte division and effector functions, the clinical utility of MPA was subsequently explored in a host of autoimmune diseases. Human clinical studies have shown MPA to be safe and effective and support its off‐label administration for immune‐mediated diseases such as lupus, myasthenia gravis and atopic dermatitis. MMF became generically available in the United States in 2008, and its clinical utility is increasingly being explored as a treatment option for dogs with immune‐mediated diseases. This review summarizes the available literature for MPA pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and the current status of MPA as a treatment for client‐owned dogs diagnosed with immune‐mediated diseases.     

小反刍兽疫病毒反向遗传学研究进展

小反刍兽疫(PPR)是由小反刍兽疫病毒(PPRV)引起的山羊、绵羊等小反刍动物的急性、高度接触性传染病。反向遗传学是在获得生物基因信息的基础上,对基因进行突变、缺失等操作,进而研究基因变化对表型的影响。本文综述了包括PPRV在内的单股负链RNA病毒反向遗传学的最新研究进展,以期为PPRV及同科属病毒的反向遗传操作系统的建立提供新的思路。     

Experimental infection of alpine goats with a Moroccan strain of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV)

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) recently caused a serious outbreak of disease in Moroccan sheep and goats. Alpine goats were highly susceptible to PPRV with mortality rates approaching 100%, as opposed to local breeds of sheep which were less susceptible to the disease. The relative susceptibility of alpine goats was investigated through an experimental infection study with the Moroccan strain of PPRV. Severe clinical signs were observed in the alpine goats with virus being excreted through ocular, nasal and oral routes. No difference in the severity of the disease in goats was observed with different inoculation routes and transmission of the virus by direct contact was confirmed. This study confirmed the susceptibility of the alpine goat to PPRV infection and describes a challenge protocol that effectively and consistently reproduced severe clinical signs of PPR in experimentally infected goats.     

Effects of mycophenolic acid on inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase I and II mRNA expression in white blood cells and various tissues in sheep

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is a mycotoxin commonly found as Penicillium genus secondary metabolite in feedstuffs and silages. Feeding with MPA contaminated silages may modulate the immune system in the farm animals and can cause appetite lost, ketosis, paralysis and abortion. The aim of the present study was to characterize the long-term MPA effect on both the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) isoforms I and II mRNA expression in white blood cells (WBC) and various tissue of healthy sheep. In treated animals 300 mg MPA/day/sheep was applied. In all investigated tissues the IMPDH I and II mRNA was abundant: WBC, spleen, thymus, ileum, jejunum, kidney, liver, pharyngeal and mesenterial lymph node. An efficiency-corrected relative quantification of the IMPDH types I and II isoforms mRNA were performed by normalizing with the constant reference gene expression of beta-actin. High IMPDH I mRNA expression levels were seen in kidney > mesenterial lymph node > jejunum > spleen > pharyngeal lymph node. Medium and low abundance was found in ileum > WBC > liver > thymus. Type II mRNA was highly expressed in liver > thymus > jejunum. In pharyngeal lymph node > spleen > ileum > mesenterial lymph node > kidney > WBC medium to low IMPDH II mRNA concentrations were detected. Under MPA treatment the IMPDH I mRNA expression was not significantly regulated in WBC, only trends of down- and upregulation were observed. Surprisingly in jejunum an upregulation could be observed (P < 0.05). In pharyngeal lymph node a tendency to downregulation was shown. This may be due to frequent ruminant activities and frequent exposition of MPA to the pharyngeal lymph nodes. In contrast to type I mRNA expression, IMPDH II mRNA was significantly downregulated in ileum (3.4-fold, P < 0.01) and tendencies in downregulation could be seen in jejunum (5.1-fold, P = 0.14). In addition, significant downregulation of IMPDH II gene expression over the entire feeding experiment could be shown in WBC of MPA-treated animals compared with untreated animals (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the recent study demonstrates that feeding sheep with MPA-contaminated silage did not induce IMPDH I mRNA expression in various tissues and blood, except in jejunum, but has suppressive effects on IMPDH II mRNA expression in WBC and ileum.     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂对小反刍兽疫病毒复制的影响

旨在探究组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂对小反刍兽疫病毒(peste des petits ruminants virus，PPRV)复制的影响，以确定组蛋白去乙酰化酶(histone deacetylases，HDACs)在PPRV复制过程中的作用。采用RT-qPCR法检测PPRV感染后Vero细胞HDACs(HDAC1~11) mRNA表达水平的变化；用针对不同类型HDACs的抑制剂处理感染PPRV的Vero细胞48 h，Western blot筛选影响PRPV N蛋白表达的抑制剂；应用筛选出的抑制剂处理感染PPRV的Vero细胞，通过RT-qPCR、Western blot和TCID₅₀法进一步分析抑制剂对病毒RNA、蛋白和病毒滴度的影响。结果显示，PPRV感染后，Vero细胞HDAC2 mRNA水平显著升高(P<0.05)；SAHA、TMP269、MGCD0103处理后，PPRV N蛋白的表达量明显降低，且呈剂量负相关；SAHA、TMP269、MGCD0103也显著降低PPRV N RNA表达水平(P<0.05，P<0.05，P<0.01)和病毒滴度(P<0.05,P<0.05,P<0.01)。这表明Ⅱa类HDACs抑制剂和Ⅰ类HDACs抑制剂能抑制PPRV的复制，Ⅰ类HDACs (HDAC1~3)和Ⅱa类HDACs (HDAC4~5、HDAC7、HDAC9)可能参与调控PPRV的感染。     

Induction of protective immune response against both PPRV and FMDV by a novel recombinant PPRV expressing FMDV VP1

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are both highly contagious diseases of small domestic and wild ruminants caused by the PPR virus (PPRV) and the FMD virus (FMDV). In this study, a recombinant PPRV expressing the FMDV VP1 gene (rPPRV/VP1) was generated and FMDV VP1 expression did not impair replication of the recombinant virus in vitro and immunogenicity in inducing neutralizing antibody against PPR in goats. Vaccination with one dose of rPPRV/VP1 induced FMDV neutralizing antibody in goats and protected them from challenge with virulent FMDV. Our results suggest that the recombinant PPRV expressing the FMDV VP1 protein is a potential dual live vectored vaccine against PPRV and FMDV.