Rinderpest Research Articles

Natural Disasters at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague, by Adam Sundberg

Natural Disasters at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague, by Adam Sundberg

Canine Distemper Virus: Origins, Mutations, Diagnosis, and Epidemiology in Mexico.

This review provides an overview of the canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly infectious pathogen causing severe disease in domestic dogs and wildlife. It shares genetic similarities with the human measles virus (HMV) in humans and the rinderpest virus (RPV) in cattle. The origin of CDV likely involves a mutation from human measles strains, possibly in the New World, with subsequent transmission to dogs. CDV has been globally observed, with an increasing incidence in various animal populations. Genomic mutations, especially in the H protein, contribute to its ability to infect different hosts. Diagnosis by molecular techniques like RT-qPCR offers rapid and sensitive detection when compared with serological tests. Genomic sequencing is vital for understanding CDV evolution and designing effective control strategies. Overall, CDV poses a significant threat, and genomic sequencing enhances our ability to manage and prevent its spread. Here, the epidemiology of CDV principally in Mexico is reviewed.

Glycan-shielded homodimer structure and dynamical features of the canine distemper virus hemagglutinin relevant for viral entry and efficient vaccination.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) belongs to morbillivirus, including measles virus (MeV) and rinderpest virus, which causes serious immunological and neurological disorders in carnivores, including dogs and rhesus monkeys, as recently reported, but their vaccines are highly effective. The attachment glycoprotein hemagglutinin (CDV-H) at the CDV surface utilizes signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) and Nectin-4 (also called poliovirus-receptor-like-4; PVRL4) as entry receptors. Although fusion models have been proposed, the molecular mechanism of morbillivirus fusion entry is poorly understood. Here, we determined the crystal structure of the globular head domain of CDV-H vaccine strain at 3.2 Å resolution, revealing that CDV-H exhibits a highly tilted homodimeric form with a six-bladed β-propeller fold. While the predicted Nectin-4-binding site is well conserved with that of MeV-H, that of SLAM is similar but partially different, which is expected to contribute to host specificity. Five N-linked sugars covered a broad area of the CDV-H surface to expose receptor-binding sites only, supporting the effective production of neutralizing antibodies. These features are common to MeV-H, although the glycosylation sites are completely different. Furthermore, real-time observation using high-speed atomic force microscopy revealed highly mobile features of the CDV-H dimeric head via the connector region. These results suggest that sugar-shielded tilted homodimeric structure and dynamic conformational changes are common characteristics of morbilliviruses and ensure effective fusion entry and vaccination.

Glycan-shielded homodimer structure and dynamical features of the canine distemper virus hemagglutinin relevant for viral entry and efficient vaccination

Canine distemper virus (CDV) belongs to morbillivirus, including measles virus (MeV) and rinderpest virus, which causes serious immunological and neurological disorders in carnivores, including dogs and rhesus monkeys, as recently reported, but their vaccines are highly effective. The attachment glycoprotein hemagglutinin (CDV-H) at the CDV surface utilizes signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) and Nectin-4 (also called poliovirus-receptor-like-4; PVRL4) as entry receptors. Although fusion models have been proposed, the molecular mechanism of morbillivirus fusion entry is poorly understood. Here, we determined the crystal structure of the globular head domain of CDV-H vaccine strain at 3.2 Å resolution, revealing that CDV-H exhibits a highly tilted homodimeric form with a six-bladed β-propeller fold. While the predicted Nectin-4-binding site is well conserved with that of MeV-H, that of SLAM is similar but partially different, which is expected to contribute to host specificity. Five N-linked sugars covered a broad area of the CDV-H surface to expose receptor-binding sites only, supporting the effective production of neutralizing antibodies. These features are common to MeV-H, although the glycosylation sites are completely different. Furthermore, real-time observation using high-speed atomic force microscopy revealed highly mobile features of the CDV-H dimeric head via the connector region. These results suggest that sugar-shielded tilted homodimeric structure and dynamic conformational changes are common characteristics of morbilliviruses and ensure effective fusion entry and vaccination.

Assessment of risk factors associated with epidemiology of Peste des Petits ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats in Abia State, Nigeria

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious and trans-boundary disease caused by the PPR virus belonging to the family; Paramyxoviridae and is closely related to the Rinderpest virus of cattle. Its implications on successful small ruminant farming cannot be over-emphasized. Its current status with respect to farmers' awareness and assessment of risk factors associated with the emergence and spread of the disease were investigated. A structured questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from purposively selected farms on randomly selected local government areas (LGAs) in the three agricultural zones in Abia State. The questionnaires (n=42) were distributed among small ruminant farmers to determine the knowledge, attitude and preventive measures adopted by farmers, with respect to PPR in the study area. Statistical analysis was performed at a 95% confidence level using Statistical Package Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The study highlighted high levels (78.6%) of awareness of PPR in the study area. Out of all respondents, 64.3% practiced intensive system of management and 57.1% had observed outbreaks on their farms. About 26.2% noticed the disease especially in young animals, with 64.3% observing these outbreaks at certain season of the year. Quarantine (26.2%) and control of stray sheep/goats (42.9%) were the major preventive measures adopted in the study area. Only a few respondents (33.3%) vaccinated their animals while the majority of respondents (54.7%) never practice vaccination as a preventive measure. There was significant association (p<0.05) between notice of disease, frequency of PPR occurrence, age of animals, seasons of occurrence and PPR outbreak. Limited use of veterinary services, seasons of the year, introduction of new or replacement animals into the flock without quarantine were identified risk factors associated with the emergence, spread and persistence of PPR in Abia State. Consequently, effective control measures such as mass vaccination especially at indicated peak seasons is recommended for the study area. Also, consistent extension programs for all stakeholders in the study area on the importance of PPR and economic benefits associated with curbing PPR in the area are pertinent.

Cows, Communities, and Religious Responses to the 1865–66 British Rinderpest Outbreak*

The devastating outbreak of rinderpest in the British Isles in 1865–66 — the so‐called “cattle plague” — was a significant event in Victorian Britain, one that did much to shape British agriculture, animal disease control, and veterinary medicine. This article argues that the cattle plague also had long‐term significance for the relationship between the Church of England and non‐human animals. During eighteenth‐century rinderpest outbreaks, Anglican clergy had rarely considered the suffering animals. In 1865–66 and afterwards, services in Anglican churches increasingly involved animal themes, issues, and presences. From this time, it became usual for Anglicans to mark moments of severe animal disease with special prayers and services. The crisis also encouraged changes in how Church of England clergy, and ministers in other Christian denominations, spoke about animals in sermons. During the outbreak of rinderpest, there was a sharpened awareness of the extent to which cows and humans had common interests and inhabited a shared community. A heightened appreciation of the bonds and interdependencies between people and farmed animals, the article suggests, had much significance for ecological thinking among nineteenth‐century ministers of religion. The article argues for the distinctive status of cattle in modern Christianity.

Genome Characterization of a Tailam Virus Discovered in Brown Rats in Yunnan Province, China.

Paramyxoviridae is one of the most well known and largest virus families, including some animal and human pathogens, such as the Hendra, Nipah, and Rinderpest viruses, with a high potential for the emergence of human diseases. Based on recent phylogenetic analyses, two new genera (Narmovirus and Jeilongvirus) have been described. The newly recognized genus Jeilongvirus has rapidly increased in number and has grown to 15 species from 7 a few years ago. However, little is known about the diversity, host range, or evolution of Jeilongvirus. As a well-known host reservoir for many pathogens, rodents have always been the focus for characterizing their pathogenic potential. In this study, we isolated a Tailam virus strain (RN-JH-YN-2022-1) belonging to the genus Jeilongvirus from Rattus norvegicus in Yunnan Province, China. The virus presented a near-complete genome (19,046 nucleotides). Similar to other members of the genus Jeilongvirus, the genome of RN-JH-YN-2022-1 contains eight basic genes (3'-N-P/V/C-M-F-SH-TM-G-L-5') with 88.88% sequence identity to Tailam virus (TL8K). Additionally, we discuss the pattern of genus Jeilongvirus diversity and the possible route of spread of the Tailam virus, which could provide new clues into the host range, virus diversity, and geographical distribution of the genus Jeilongvirus.

THE FIRST ANIMAL DISEASE TO BE ERADICATED IN THE HISTORY OF PANDEMIC- RINDERPEST

We talk about the worst pandemics in history, like Plague of Justinian (541-543), Black Death (1347-1351), Spanish flu (1918-1919), SARS (2002-2003), swine flu (009-2010), MERS (2015- ongoing) and COVID-19 (2019- ongoing) etc., that have worn out half of the human population. What about the animals? Are they not victims of these pandemics? Yes, they were also, witnessing many zoonotic diseases such as rinderpest disease, avian influenza, food-and-mouth disease virus, etc., that led to massive killings that wore out half their population. This paper will give a brief history on Rinderpest virus that afflicted animals throughout history. While it did not infect humans it severely affected their livelihoods. Rinderpest disease- ‘Cattle Plague’, was a devastating disease of livestock responsible for continent-wide famine and poverty (14). In 2011 with UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health declaring globe eradication of rinderpest; only the second in history to be eradicated after smallpox in humans in 1980 (1). Through Longitudinal and Exploratory methodology this paper also provides a detailed history of Rinderpest from its origin to turning into the worst pandemic that changed the outcome of history, majorly affected regions/continents around the globe from decades, symptoms, role-played by various organizations in putting efforts into eradicating this disease and concludes with an overview of this pandemic.

Adam Sundberg. Natural Disasters and the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and the Cattle Plague

Adam Sundberg. <i>Natural Disasters and the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and the Cattle Plague</i>

Multiplex primers employment for detection of rinderpest virus RNA by PCR

Given the high contagiousness and rapid spread of the rinderpest virus, timely and accurate diagnosis plays a key role in preventing epidemics and taking measures to control the disease. The study aims to evaluate the efficiency of using multiplex primers in the polymerase chain reaction method for the detection of rinderpest virus ribonucleic acid. The study included the analysis of samples such as blood serum and conjunctival swabs from 50 animals with clinical manifestations of the disease. The experiment involved the collection of clinical samples such as blood serum and conjunctival washings. The results demonstrate the high specificity of the developed primers. These primers stand out because they use two pairs of the same gene region with different variable sequences that are specific for all strains of the rinderpest virus. In the polymerase chain reaction, both pairs of primers are used simultaneously at equal concentrations and under the same conditions. An additional polymerase chain reaction performed using these primers at the optimal annealing temperature confirmed the successful amplification and specificity of the primers. The absence of dimers and nonspecific products in the negative control confirmed the purity and reliability of the results. Thus, these results demonstrate that the use of these multiplex polymerase chain reaction primers allows for the efficient detection of the ribonucleic acid of the rinderpest virus of different strains. The developed multiplex primers represent an innovative method for the diagnosis of rinderpest virus with the potential for use in veterinary practice and animal disease control

Natural Disaster at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague by Adam Sundberg (review)

Natural Disaster at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague by Adam Sundberg (review)

Canine Distemper Virus Infection in the Free-Living Wild Canines, the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Jackal (Canis aureus moreoticus), in Croatia.

The canine distemper virus (CDV), a paramyxovirus that is closely related to the human measles virus and rinderpest virus of cattle, is a highly contagious viral disease in dogs and wild carnivores worldwide. CDV represents a serious threat to domestic and wild animals, especially to the conservation of endangered wild carnivores. Our study aims to investigate the occurrence of CDV in free-living wild canines in Croatia. For this purpose, 176 red foxes and 24 jackal brain samples collected in the frame of the active surveillance of rabies during winter 2021/2022 were tested. This study provided the first comprehensive overview of the prevalence and spatial distribution of CDV in the wildlife of Croatia, including the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the H gene sequence of field CDV strains circulating in red fox and jackal populations of Croatia. The molecular characterization of hemagglutinin gene genomic regions confirmed the phylogenetic clustering of obtained sequences into the Europa 1 genotype. The obtained CDV red fox sequences were mutually very similar (97.60%). This study indicates the high genetic similarity of Croatian CDV red fox sequences and CDV red fox sequences from Italy and Germany, badger sequences from Germany, polecat sequences from Hungary, and dog sequences from Hungary and Germany.

Cattle, Viral Invasions, and State-Society Relations in a Colonial Korean Borderland

Abstract For early twentieth-century Koreans, one of the most feared invaders to breach the country’s northern border with China was the tiny viral pathogen Rinderpest morbillivirus (rinderpest, or cattle plague). This study examines the social consequences of rinderpest outbreaks along the colonial Sino-Korean border and the methods undertaken by the Japanese Government-General of Korea to control viral “invasions” from Manchuria. Rinderpest prevention primarily functioned as an extension of the colonial police. Despite universal fears of rinderpest’s ravages, which devastated a rural economy dependent on animal labor, colonized Koreans exhibited wide-ranging reactions to the heavy-handed methods adopted by imperial officials to fight the disease. Korean responses included outright resistance such as cross-border cattle smuggling, attacking veterinary officials, or protests against livestock travel bans, as well as varying degrees of cooperation. Moving chronologically from before the beginning of formal colonial rule in 1910 until the 1930s, this article strives to explain how a modern veterinary regime was implemented and negotiated in the northern colonial Korean borderland. Such a view is essential for understanding not only Korea’s colonial past but also Korean responses to infectious disease “invasions” in the present day.

Risk of rinderpest virus re-introduction 10-years post-eradication

Risk of rinderpest virus re-introduction 10-years post-eradication

Adam Sundberg, Natural Disaster at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age. Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague

Adam Sundberg, Natural Disaster at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age. Floods, Worms, and Cattle Plague

‘Success to the Shropshire Chamber of Agriculture’: a reappraisal of the role of chambers of agriculture in Britain during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries

AbstractThe central and associated county or district chambers of agriculture have attracted little attention from historians. Their origins have been attributed to the perceived lack of a national coordinating body for agriculture highlighted by the 1865–7 cattle plague. This article based on the records of the Shropshire Chamber of Agriculture, newspapers and printed histories reconsiders their role. Members were initially drawn from landowning society and larger tenant farmers, although membership widened with the growth of rival organisations. Activities included lectures, talks and debates on agricultural subjects, visits to farms, factories and the county agricultural college and farm institute, dinners and social occasions at which those interested in agriculture could meet. By foregrounding the people and politics of the chambers of agriculture, it is argued they need to be incorporated more fully into the historiography of agricultural and rural politics of Britain during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Adam Sundberg, Natural Disaster at the Closing of the Dutch Golden Age: Floods, Worms and Cattle Plague

TSEG (Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis) - The Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History, is het Nederlands-Vlaamse vaktijdschrift op het gebied van de sociale en economische geschiedenis

History of measles

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by aerosols through human-to-human contact. It is often considered as a benign disease, although mortality remains high in developing countries (>5%). Frequent complications (diarrhea, otitis, pneumonia, encephalitis) can be observed. The disease mainly affects young children from 5 to 6 months of age with a mortality peak in the first three years of life. The Persian physician Rhazes gave the first clinical description of the disease in the 10th century, clearly differentiating it from smallpox. Measles spread worldwide from the Renaissance. Its epidemiology was remarkably studied in 1846 by a Danish physician, Peter Panum, during an epidemic in the Faroe Islands. The viral nature of this disease was demonstrated in 1911 and the virus was identified in 1954 by Thomas Peebles and John Enders. It is a morbillivirus (family Paramyxoviridae), also responsible for rinderpest (ovine, bovine), distemper (canine, feline), and epidemic diseases of dolphins, porpoises and seals. The current measles virus appeared recently from the rinderpest virus around the 6th century BCE. It has adapted perfectly to the human species, becoming strictly human, without animal reservoirs. A live attenuated vaccine was developed in 1958 by Enders' team after numerous passages in cell cultures. The vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1963 and is used on a large scale by the WHO throughout the world. This highly effective and well-tolerated vaccine has greatly reduced the number of measles cases and saved millions of lives. Measles remains a major public health concern, causing over 100,000 deaths per year worldwide. Today, the most affected continents remain Africa, South America and Asia.

Sequestration and Destruction of Rinderpest Virus-Containing Material 10 Years after Eradication.

In 2021, the world marked 10 years free from rinderpest. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Organisation for Animal Health have since made great strides in consolidating, sequencing, and destroying stocks of rinderpest virus–containing material, currently kept by only 14 known institutions. This progress must continue.

Cattle plague and the introduction of veterinary education in colonial Bengal

Historically, Bengal had played a pivotal role in the introduction of a regulated regime of veterinary practice and education in colonial India. The proposed study seeks to view this practice through the lens of cattle plague that gripped the province in the second half of nineteenth century. Contrary to what the extant literature makes us believe, it is argued that in the matter of livestock management, Bengal paid more attention to her bovine inmates primarily for agricultural purposes rather than horse breeding and supply in military and transportation sector.