Genetic Evidence for Transboundary Circulation of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Across West Africa.

Ekaterina Isselmou,Yahya Barry,Alassane Bâ ,Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé ,Germaine Minougou,Martin Dakouo,Joseph Savadogo,Arnaud Bataillé ,Habib Salami,Olivier Kwiatek,Mariame Diop,Geneviève Libeau,Mamadou Niang,Abdellahi Salem Lella,Ahmed Bezeid El Mamy,Mohamed Baba Gueya,K Tounkara ,Baba Doumbia,Modou Moustapha Lô ,Lassina Ouattara,Amadou Séry ,Ahmed Salem El Arbi,Habiboullah Habiboullah

doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00275

Abstract

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting predominantly small ruminants. Due to its transboundary nature, regional coordination of control strategies will be key to the success of the on-going PPR eradication campaign. Here, we aimed at exploring the extent of transboundary movement of PPR in West Africa using phylogenetic analyses based on partial viral gene sequences. We collected samples and obtained partial nucleoprotein gene sequence from PPR-infected small ruminants across countries within West Africa. This new sequence data was combined with publically available data from the region to perform phylogenetic analyses. A total of fifty-five sequences were obtained in a region still poorly sampled. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the majority of virus sequences obtained in this study were placed within genetic clusters regrouping samples from multiple West African countries. Some of these clusters contained samples from countries sharing borders. In other cases, clusters grouped samples from very distant countries. Our results suggest extensive and recurrent transboundary movements of PPR within West Africa, supporting the need for a regional coordinated strategy for PPR surveillance and control in the region. Simple phylogenetic analyses based on readily available data can provide information on PPR transboundary dynamics and, therefore, could contribute to improve control strategies. On-going and future projects dedicated to PPR should include extensive genetic characterization and phylogenetic analyses of circulating viral strains in their effort to support the campaign for global eradication of the disease.

Highlights

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting predominantly small ruminants, such as sheep and goats
Phylogenetic analyses showed that all the sequences obtained belonged to the lineage II (LII) of PPRV (Figure 1)
A large amount of partial N gene sequence data are publically available because it is produced from one of the most common PPRV diagnostic method used worldwide [11] comparatively to the F gene [21]. This wealth of data could be used to further our understanding of the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of this important transboundary animal disease

Summary

Introduction

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting predominantly small ruminants, such as sheep and goats. PPR is classified as a Transboundary Animal Disease (TAD) due to its rapid spread in large parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, associated with animal trade and human movements [1, 2]. Due to its impact on the livelihood and food security for smallholders farmers, the OIE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched a campaign for the global eradication of PPR [3]. For this transboundary disease, regional coordination of control strategies will be key to the success of the campaign. The re-emergence of PPR in Morocco, due to transboundary movement of infected animals, few years after complete eradication from the country stresses the importance of this aspect [4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion