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Background: Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is an acute or peracute contagious transboundary viral disease that mainly affects caprine and ovine and causes significant economic impact in developing countries. After two PPR virus outbreaks in 2011 and 2014, an investigation, from August 2015 to September 2016, was carried out in Northern Iraq when an increased morbidity and mortality rates were reported in the domestic and captive wild goats. In the present study, ten domestic goat farms and seven captive wild goat herds located in seven geographical areas of Northern Iraq were clinically, pathologically, serologically and genotypically characterized to determine the prevalence and potential cause of PPR virus outbreak., Results: The outbreak occurred with rate of morbidity (26.1%) and mortality (11.1%) in domestic goat farms as compared to captive wild goat herds where relatively high mortality (42.9%) and low morbidity (10.9%) rates were recorded. Based on the clinical symptoms (mucopurulent nasal discharges, ulceration and erosion of oral mucosa, profuse watery diarrhea) and necropsy (hemorrhage and congestion on mucous membranes of the colon and rectum with zebra stripes lesions) results, overall, the serological test findings revealed a high frequency (47.9%) of positive samples for anti-PPRV nucleoprotein antibodies. Furthermore, the nucleoprotein (N) gene was detected in 63.2 and 89.1% of samples using conventional and reverse transcription real-time quantitative PCR assays. A phylogenetic analysis of N gene amino acid sequences clustered with the reference strain revealed lineage IV similar to the strains isolated in 2011 and 2014, respectively. However, two sub-types of lineage IV (I and II), significantly distinct from the previous strains, were also observed., Conclusion: The phylogenetic analysis suggests that movements of goats are possible cause and one of the important factors responsible for the spread of virus across the region. The study results would help in improving farm management practices by establishing a PPR virus eradication program using regular monitoring and vaccination program to control and mitigate the risk of re-emergence of PPR virus infection in domestic and captive wild goats in Iraq., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

An in-depth knowledge of the molecular evolution of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is critical for the success of the current global eradication program. For this reason, a molecular evolutionary analysis of PPRVs circulating in Bangladesh over a decade (2008-2020) was performed. The complete genome sequencing of three PPRV isolates from 2008 (BD2), 2015 (BD12) and 2017 (BD17) as well as full length nucleocapsid (N), matrix (M) and fusion (F) gene sequencing of seven more samples from 2015 to 2020 was performed. Phylogenetic analysis classified all ten PPRVs from Bangladesh as members of lineage IV and showed that they were closely related to PPRV strains detected in China and Tibet during 2007-2008, and India during 2014-2018. Time scale Bayesian Maximum Clade Credibility (MCC) phylogenetic analysis of the three complete genomes revealed a mean Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) of 2000. Comparative deduced amino acid residue analysis at various functional motifs of PPRVs related to virus structure and function, virulence and host adaptation, receptor binding sites and polymerase activity revealed conserved residues among the PPRVs from Bangladesh. In total sixteen epitopes were predicted from four immunogenic proteins i.e. N, M, F and haemagglutinin (H). Interestingly, the predicted epitopes from the N and M proteins shared conserved epitopes with two vaccine strains currently being used, indicating that the strains from Bangladesh could be potentially used as alternative local vaccines., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Understanding the evolution of viral pathogens is critical to being able to define how viruses emerge within different landscapes. Host susceptibility, which is spread between different species and is a contributing factor to the subsequent epidemiology of a disease, is defined by virus detection and subsequent characterization. Peste des petits ruminants virus is a plague of small ruminant species that is a considerable burden to the development of sustainable agriculture across Africa and much of Asia. The virus has also had a significant impact on populations of endangered species in recent years, highlighting its significance as a pathogen of high concern across different regions of the globe. Here, we have re-evaluated the molecular evolution of this virus using novel genetic data to try and further resolve the molecular epidemiology of this disease. Viral isolates are genetically characterized into four lineages (I-IV), and the historic origin of these lineages is of considerable interest to the molecular evolution of the virus. Our re-evaluation of viral emergence using novel genome sequences has demonstrated that lineages I, II and IV likely originated in West Africa, in Senegal (I) and Nigeria (II and IV). Lineage III sequences predicted emergence in either East Africa (Ethiopia) or in the Arabian Peninsula (Oman and/or the United Arab Emirates), with a paucity of data precluding a more refined interpretation. Continual refinements of evolutionary emergence, following the generation of new data, is key to both understanding viral evolution from a historic perspective and informing on the ongoing genetic emergence of this virus.

In pan Pamir Plateau countries, Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) has brought huge losses to the livestock industry and threaten the endangered wildlife. In unknown regions, revealing PPRV transmission among countries is the premise of effective prevention and control, therefore calls for quantified monitoring on disease communication among countries. In this paper, a MaxEnt model was built for the first time to predict the PPR risk within the research area. The least cost path (LCP) for PPR transboundary communication were calculated and referred to as the maximum available paths (MAP). The results show that there are many places with high-risk in the research area, and the domestic risk in China is lower than that in foreign countries and is mainly determined by human activities. Five LCPs representing corridors among Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India and China were obtained. This study proves for the first time that there is the possibility of cross-border transmission of diseases by wild and domestic animals. In the future, it will play an important role in monitoring the PPR epidemic and blocking-up its cross-border transmission., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep that occurs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with a severe impact on livelihoods and livestock trade. Many wild artiodactyls are susceptible to PPR virus (PPRV) infection, and some outbreaks have threatened endangered wild populations. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global Strategy for the Control and Eradication of PPR. These studies aimed to investigate PPRV infection in wild artiodactyls in the Greater Serengeti and Amboseli ecosystems of Kenya and Tanzania. Out of 132 animals purposively sampled in 2015-2016, 19.7% were PPRV seropositive by ID Screen PPR competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA; IDvet, France) from the following species: African buffalo, wildebeest, topi, kongoni, Grant's gazelle, impala, Thomson's gazelle, warthog and gerenuk, while waterbuck and lesser kudu were seronegative. In 2018-2019, a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected African buffalo and Grant's gazelle herds was conducted. The weighted estimate of PPRV seroprevalence was 12.0% out of 191 African buffalo and 1.1% out of 139 Grant's gazelles. All ocular and nasal swabs and faeces were negative by PPRV real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Investigations of a PPR-like disease in sheep and goats confirmed PPRV circulation in the area by rapid detection test and/or RT-qPCR. These results demonstrated serological evidence of PPRV infection in wild artiodactyl species at the wildlife-livestock interface in this ecosystem where PPRV is endemic in domestic small ruminants. Exposure to PPRV could be via spillover from infected small ruminants or from transmission between wild animals, while the relatively low seroprevalence suggests that sustained transmission is unlikely. Further studies of other major wild artiodactyls in this ecosystem are required, such as impala, Thomson's gazelle and wildebeest.

Small ruminants (e.g., sheep and goats) contribute considerably to the cash income and nutrition of small farmers in most countries in Africa and Asia. Their husbandry is threatened by the highly infectious transboundary viral disease peste des petits ruminants (PPR) caused by peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV). Given its social and economic impact, PPR is presently being targeted by international organizations for global eradication by 2030. Since its first description in Côte d'Ivoire in 1942, and particularly over the last 10 years, a large amount of molecular epidemiological data on the virus have been generated in Africa. This review aims to consolidate these data in order to have a clearer picture of the current PPR situation in Africa, which will, in turn, assist authorities in global eradication attempts.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease was first confirmed in Tanzania in 2008 in sheep and goats in Ngorongoro District, northern Tanzania, and is now endemic in this area. This study aimed to characterise PPR disease in pastoralist small ruminant flocks in Ngorongoro District. During June 2015, 33 PPR-like disease reports were investigated in different parts of the district, using semi-structured interviews, clinical examinations, PPR virus rapid detection test (PPRV-RDT), and laboratory analysis. Ten flocks were confirmed as PPRV infected by PPRV-RDT and/or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and two flocks were co-infected with bluetongue virus (BTV), confirmed by RT-qPCR. Phylogenetic analysis of six partial N gene sequences showed that the PPR viruses clustered with recent lineage III Tanzanian viruses, and grouped with Ugandan, Kenyan and Democratic Republic of Congo isolates. No PPR-like disease was reported in wildlife. There was considerable variation in clinical syndromes between flocks: some showed a full range of PPR signs, while others were predominantly respiratory, diarrhoea, or oro-nasal syndromes, which were associated with different local disease names ( olodua- a term for rinderpest, olkipiei -lung disease, oloirobi -fever, enkorotik -diarrhoea). BTV co-infection was associated with severe oro-nasal lesions. This clinical variability makes the field diagnosis of PPR challenging, highlighting the importance of access to pen-side antigen tests and multiplex assays to support improved surveillance and targeting of control activities for PPR eradication.

In the recent past, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) emerged in East Africa causing outbreaks in small livestock across different countries, with evidences of spillover to wildlife. In order to understand better PPR at the wildlife-livestock interface, we investigated patterns of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) exposure, disease outbreaks, and viral sequences in the northern Albertine Rift. PPRV antibodies indicated a widespread exposure in apparently healthy wildlife from South Sudan (2013) and Uganda (2015, 2017). African buffaloes and Uganda kobs <1-year-old from Queen Elizabeth National Park (2015) had antibodies against PPRV N-antigen and local serosurvey captured a subsequent spread of PPRV in livestock. Outbreaks with PPR-like syndrome in sheep and goats were recorded around the Greater Virunga Landscape in Kasese (2016), Kisoro and Kabale (2017) from western Uganda, and in North Kivu (2017) from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This landscape would not be considered typical for PPR persistence as it is a mixed forest-savannah ecosystem with mostly sedentary livestock. PPRV sequences from DRC (2017) were identical to strains from Burundi (2018) and confirmed a transboundary spread of PPRV. Our results indicate an epidemiological linkage between epizootic cycles in livestock and exposure in wildlife, denoting the importance of PPR surveillance on wild artiodactyls for both conservation and eradication programs.

Understanding the molecular epidemiology and evolution of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), the causative agent of Peste des petits ruminants, can assist in the control of the transboundary spread of this economically important disease. To date, despite having been reported in the majority of northern and central African countries, no molecular epidemiological data on PPRVs are available for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This study reports the collection and analysis of 11 samples collected from three provinces of the DRC in 2016 and 2018. Sequence analysis identified two (i.e. II and III) of the four known lineages of PPRV in the country providing important information that will assist in the global eradication of PPR., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute transboundary infectious viral disease affecting domestic and wild small ruminants' species besides camels reared in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The virus is a serious paramount challenge to the sustainable agriculture advancement in the developing world. The disease outbreak was also detected for the first time in the European Union namely in Bulgaria at 2018. Therefore, the disease has lately been aimed for eradication with the purpose of worldwide clearance by 2030. Radically, the vaccines needed for effectively accomplishing this aim are presently convenient; however, the availableness of innovative modern vaccines to fulfill the desideratum for Differentiating between Infected and Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) may mitigate time spent and financial disbursement of serological monitoring and surveillance in the advanced levels for any disease obliteration campaign. We here highlight what is at the present time well-known about the virus and the different available diagnostic tools. Further, we interject on current updates and insights on several novel vaccines and on the possible current and prospective strategies to be applied for disease control., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Due to the migration or transboundary spread of domestic and wild animals, peste des petits ruminants virus posed a high potential threat to them. In this study, we initially detected that a class of animal named Procapra przewalskii was infected with peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV ChinaGS2018) in Gansu province. According to phylogenetic relationships analysis, we found that ChinaGS2018 comprised of 15,954 nucleotides and was classified into IV genotypes. In addition, indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed that ChinaGS2018 could infect isolated primary goat tracheal epithelium cells (GTC). Comparing with full-length genome sequences revealed that ChinaGS2018 strain has high identity to the reference complete genomes (87.16-99.55%) at the nucleotide level. Multiple sequence alignment showed that F protein has the highest identity of 99.8%, and H protein has the highest nucleotide substitution ratio. Our study also suggested this strain may be transmitted from Xinjiang, China. Along with the migratory of Procapraprzewalskii, this wild ruminant infected with PPRV can pose a huge threat to other wild ruminants and domestic ones. This is the first report describing infected with PPRV which will provide insights into the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this important virus., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Small ruminant morbillivirus or peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is an acute and highly contagious viral disease of goats, sheep, and other livestock. This study aimed at predicting an effective multiepitope vaccine against PPRV from the immunogenic proteins haemagglutinin (H), matrix (M), fusion (F), and nucleoprotein (N) using immunoinformatics tools., Materials and Methods: The sequences of the immunogenic proteins were retrieved from GenBank of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). BioEdit software was used to align each protein from the retrieved sequences for conservancy. Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) analysis resources were used to predict B and T cell epitopes. For B cells, the criteria for electing epitopes depend on the epitope linearity, surface accessibility, and antigenicity., Results: Nine epitopes from the H protein, eight epitopes from the M protein, and ten epitopes from each of the F and N proteins were predicted as linear epitopes. The surface accessibility method proposed seven surface epitopes from each of the H and F proteins in addition to six and four epitopes from the M and N proteins, respectively. For antigenicity, only two epitopes 142 PPERV 146 and 63 DPLSP 67 were predicted as antigenic from H and M, respectively. For T cells, MHC-I binding prediction tools showed multiple epitopes that interacted strongly with BoLA alleles. For instance, the epitope 45 MFLSLIGLL 53 from the H protein interacted with four BoLA alleles, while 276 FKKILCYPL 284 predicted from the M protein interacted with two alleles. Although F and N proteins demonstrated no favorable interaction with B cells, they strongly interacted with T cells. For instance, 358 STKSCARTL 366 from the F protein interacted with five alleles, followed by 340 SQNALYPMS 348 and 442 IDLGPAISL 450 that interacted with three alleles each. The epitopes from the N protein displayed strong interaction with BoLA alleles such as 490 RSAEALFRL 498 that interacted with five alleles, followed by two epitopes 2 ATLLKSLAL 10 and 304 QQLGEVAPY 312 that interacted with four alleles each. In addition to that, four epitopes 3 TLLKSLALF 11 , 356 YFDPAYFRL 364 , 360 AYFRLGQEM 368 , and 412 PRQAQVSFL 420 interacted with three alleles each., Conclusion: Fourteen epitopes were predicted as promising vaccine candidates against PPRV from four immunogenic proteins. These epitopes should be validated experimentally through in vitro and in vivo studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2019 Bothina B. M. Gaafar et al.)

In May 2017, many free-ranging dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas) with suspected signs of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) were reported in Dinder National Park, South-Eastern Sudan. Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) antigen and nucleic acid were detected in specimens from these gazelles using an immunocapture ELISA and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. PPRV was also detected in four healthy semi-captive dorcas gazelles from two areas of Khartoum State. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these PPRV strains belonged to the lineage IV genotype. The present study demonstrates that gazelles are a potential wild small ruminant host for PPRV and may influence the epidemiology of PPR in the Sudan.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus of the Morbillivirus genus. The current PPR eradication effort relies mainly on the implementation of massive vaccination campaigns. One of the most widely used PPR vaccines is the Nigeria 75/1 strain obtained after attenuation by 75 serial passages of the wild type isolate in cell cultures. Here we use high throughput deep sequencing of the historical passages that led to the Nigeria 75/1 attenuated strain to understand the evolution of PPRV attenuation and to assess the risk of reversal in different cell types. Comparison of the consensus sequences of the wild type and vaccine strains showed that only 18 fixed mutations separate the two strains. At the earliest attenuation passage at our disposal (passage 47), 12 out of the 18 mutations were already present at a frequency of 100%. Low-frequency variants were identified along the genome in all passages. Sequencing of passages after the vaccine strain showed evidence of genetic drift during cell passages, especially in cells expressing the SLAM receptor targeted by PPRV. However, 15 out of the 18 mutations related to attenuation remained fixed in the population. In vitro experiments suggest that one mutation in the leader region of the PPRV genome affects virus replication. Our results suggest that only a few mutations can have a serious impact on the pathogenicity of PPRV. Risk of reversion to virulence of the attenuated PPRV strain Nigeria 75/1 during serial passages in cell cultures seems low but limiting the number of passages during vaccine production is recommended.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), a member of the genus Morbillivirus, in the family Paramyxoviridae expresses two membrane glycoproteins, the fusion (F) and haemagglutinin (H) glycoproteins which mediate virus-to-cell fusion and cell-to-cell fusion leading to the induction of syncytia in PPRV infected cells. In the context of the characterization of the virulent lineage IV strain PPRV Kurdistan 2011, isolated from wild goats from the Kurdistan region in Iraq, we observed that both PPRV Kurdistan 2011 and the PPRV Nigeria 75/1 vaccine strain led to induction of large syncytia in Vero-dogSLAM cells within 48 h whereas both failed to induce detectable cell-cell fusion events in two Vero cell lines of differing passage histories. We were unable to detect syncytium formation in transiently transfected cells expressing PPRV F or H alone whereas co-expression of F and H induced large syncytia - in Vero-dogSLAM cells only. In Vero Montpellier cells expressing PPRV F and H, fused cells were rarely detectable indicating that PPRV mediated cell fusion activity is impaired in this cell line. Surprisingly, on Vero-dogSLAM cells the vaccine strain grew to titers of 10 5.25 TCID 50 /ml, whereas infectious virus yield was about 200-fold higher on Vero Montpellier and Vero-76 cells. In contrast, the virulent Kurdistan 2011 strain grew to a maximum titer of 10 7.0 TCID 50 /ml on Vero-dogSLAM cells and only 10 4.5 TCID50/ml on normal Vero cells. This was as expected since Vero cells lacking the SLAM receptor for PPRV are regarded as not so permissive for infection. To elucidate the divergent productive replication behaviour of PPRV Nigeria 75/1 vaccine strain on Vero vs Vero-dogSLAM cells, we examined whether intracellular transport and/or maturation of the viral envelope glycoproteins F and H might be implicated with this phenomenon. The results indicate that F in contrast to the H glycoprotein matures inefficiently during intracellular transport in Vero Montpellier cells, thus leading to an absence of detectable syncytia formation. However, in the case of the PPRV Nigeria 75/1 vaccine strain this did not impair efficient virus assembly and release., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a severe disease of goats and sheep that is widespread in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Several effective vaccines exist for the disease, based on attenuated strains of the virus (PPRV) that causes PPR. While the efficacy of these vaccines has been established by use in the field, the nature of the protective immune response has not been determined. In addition, while the vaccine derived from PPRV/Nigeria/75/1 (N75) is used in many countries, those developed in India have never been tested for their efficacy outside that country. We have studied the immune response in goats to vaccination with either N75 or the main Indian vaccine, which is based on isolate PPRV/India/Sungri/96 (S96). In addition, we compared the ability of these two vaccines, in parallel, to protect animals against challenge with pathogenic viruses from the four known genetic lineages of PPRV, representing viruses from different parts of Africa, as well as Asia. These studies showed that, while N75 elicited a stronger antibody response than S96, as measured by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus neutralization, S96 resulted in more pronounced cellular immune responses, as measured by virus antigen-induced proliferation and interferon gamma production. While both vaccines induced comparable numbers of PPRV-specific CD8 + T cells, S96 induced a higher number of CD4 + T cells specifically responding to virus. Despite these quantitative and qualitative differences in the immune responses following vaccination, both vaccines gave complete clinical protection against challenge with all four lineages of PPRV. IMPORTANCE Despite the widespread use of live attenuated PPRV vaccines, this is the first systematic analysis of the immune response elicited in small ruminants. These data will help in the establishment of the immunological determinants of protection, an important step in the development of new vaccines, especially DIVA vaccines using alternative vaccination vectors. This study is also the first controlled test of the ability of the two major vaccines used against virulent PPRV strains from all genetic lineages of the virus, showing conclusively the complete cross-protective ability of these vaccines., (Copyright © 2018 Hodgson et al.)

A phylogenetic analysis of samples taken from reported outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) in Georgia revealed a closer relationship to viruses from northern and eastern Africa than to viruses from countries closer to Georgia. This finding has crucial implications for the control of PPRV in the region.

Peste des petits ruminants viruses (PPRVs) re-emerged in China at the end of 2013 and then spread rapidly into 22 provinces through movement of live goats and sheep. In this study, 96 samples of domestic animals and 13 samples of wildlife were analysed for the presence of PPRV infection by ELISA or RT-PCR. Of 96 samples from sheep and goats, 91 were PPRV positive, whereas all of the 13 samples from three wild species, Capra ibex (Capra ibex sibirica), argali (Ovis ammon) and Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), were found to be positive. Five wildlife-origin isolates from the above samples were identified as the lineage IV by a multiple alignment of the partial sequences in N gene., (© 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes a highly contagious disease, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), in sheep and goats which has been considered as a serious threat to the local economy in Africa and Asia. However, the in-depth evolutionary dynamics of PPRV during an epidemic is not well understood. We conducted phylogenetic analysis on genomic sequences of 25 PPRV strains from China 2013-2014 outbreaks. All these strains clustered into a novel clade in lineage 4. An evolutionary rate of 2.61 × 10 -6 nucleotide substitutions per site per day was estimated, dating the most recent common ancestor of PPRV China 2013-2014 strains to early August 2013. Transmission network analysis revealed that all the virus sequences could be grouped into five clusters of infection, suggesting long-distance animal transmission play an important role in the spread of PPRV in China. These results expanded our knowledge for PPRV evolution to achieve effective control measures., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants is an important transboundary disease infecting small ruminants. Genome or gene sequence analysis enriches our knowledge about the evolution and transboundary nature of the causative agent of this disease, peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). Although analysis using whole genome sequences of pathogens leads to more precise phylogenetic relationships, when compared to individual genes or partial sequences, there is still a need to identify specific genes/genomic regions that can provide evolutionary assessments consistent with those predicted with full-length genome sequences. Here the virulent Izatnagar/94 PPRV isolate was assembled and compared to all available complete genome sequences (currently in the NCBI database) to estimate nucleotide diversity and to deduce evolutionary relationships between genes/genomic regions and the full length genomes. Our aim was to identify the preferred candidate gene for use as a phylogenetic marker, as well as to predict divergence time and explore PPRV phylogeography. Among all the PPRV genes, the H gene was identified to be the most diverse with the highest evolutionary relationship with the full genome sequences. Hence it is considered as the most preferred candidate gene for phylogenetic study with 93% identity set as a nucleotide cutoff. A whole genome nucleotide sequence cutoff value of 94% permitted specific differentiation of PPRV lineages. All the isolates examined in the study were found to have a most recent common ancestor in the late 19th or in the early 20th century with high posterior probability values. The Bayesian skyline plot revealed a decrease in genetic diversity among lineage IV isolates since the start of the vaccination program and the network analysis localized the ancestry of PPRV to Africa.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) one of the most important viruses of small ruminants has a restricted host range. We report here the presence of PPRV virus in the nasal swabs of 3 out of 12 dogs in a routine microarray screening. The presence of PPRV sequence was further confirmed by PCR and sequencing. The sequence analysis revealed that the PPRV virus has close similarities with the viruses present in Indian subcontinent but was not identical to the vaccine virus used in India. Results suggest possible crossing of species barrier but requires further serological evidences.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an highly contagious disease of small ruminants, and caused by peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), a member of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. The first outbreak of PPR in China was officially reported in July 2007, when a PPRV strain was successfully isolated from a sick goat in Tibet, followed by sequencing at a full-genome level (China/Tibet/Geg/07-30, GenBank: FJ905304.1). To date, this isolate has been virulently attenuated by more than 90 serial passages in Vero-Dog-SLAM cells at our laboratory. In this study, a total of nine strains by serial passages (namely the 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, and 90th passages) were chosen for sequencing of six structural genes in PPRV. The sequence analysis showed that mutation rates in all viral genes were relatively low, and only a few identical mutations within certain genes were stably maintained after an earlier passage, perhaps indicating a predominance of mutants after such a passage.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes a severe contagious disease of sheep and goats and has spread extensively through the developing world. Because of its disproportionately large impact on the livelihoods of low-income livestock keepers, and the availability of effective vaccines and good diagnostics, the virus is being targeted for global control and eventual eradication. In this review we examine the origin of the virus and its current distribution, and the factors that have led international organizations to conclude that it is eradicable. We also review recent progress in the molecular and cellular biology of the virus and consider areas where further research is required to support the efforts being made by national, regional, and international bodies to tackle this growing threat., (© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants virus causes a highly infectious disease of small ruminants that is endemic across Africa, the Middle East and large regions of Asia. The virus is considered to be a major obstacle to the development of sustainable agriculture across the developing world and has recently been targeted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for eradication with the aim of global elimination of the disease by 2030. Fundamentally, the vaccines required to successfully achieve this goal are currently available, but the availability of novel vaccine preparations to also fulfill the requisite for differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA) may reduce the time taken and the financial costs of serological surveillance in the later stages of any eradication campaign. Here, we overview what is currently known about the virus, with reference to its origin, updated global circulation, molecular evolution, diagnostic tools and vaccines currently available to combat the disease. Further, we comment on recent developments in our knowledge of various recombinant vaccines and on the potential for the development of novel multivalent vaccines for small ruminants., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is endemic in many Asian countries with expansion of the range in recent years including across China during 2013-2014 (OIE, 2014). Till the end of 2014, no cases of PPR virus (PPRV) were officially reported to the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) from Kazakhstan. This study describes for the first time clinicopathological, epidemiological and genetic characterization of PPRV in 3 farm level outbreaks reported for the first time in Zhambyl region (oblast), southern Kazakhstan. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial N gene sequence data confirms the lineage IV PPRV circulation, similar to the virus that recently circulated in China. The isolated viruses are 99.5-99.7% identical to the PPRV isolated in 2014 from Heilongjiang Province in China and therefore providing evidence of transboundary spread of PPRV. There is a risk of further maintenance of virus in young stock despite vaccination of adult sheep and goats, along livestock trade and pastoral routes, threatening both small livestock and endangered susceptible wildlife populations throughout Kazakhstan., (© 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

During March 25-May 5, 2014, we investigated 11 outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants in Heilongjiang Province, China. We found that the most likely source of the outbreaks was animals from livestock markets in Shandong. Peste des petits ruminants viruses belonging to lineages II and IV were detected in sick animals.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, highly contagious fatal disease of small ruminants characterized by high fever, ocular and nasal discharge, pneumonia, erosive stomatitis and severe enteritis that ultimately results in high mortalities. Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is widely distributed and endemic in several African, middle eastern and south Asian countries and it poses a threat to European countries. Egyptian veterinary medical authorities stated that Egypt is free from PPRV and the only measures for disease control are test and slaughter of infected population to maintain the free status. The aim of our investigation was to detect PPRV in Ismailia province as an indicator of the infection status in Egypt and perform molecular characterization of the emerging virus to gain insight into the origin of circulating virus. A total of 40 representative clinical samples, from a single goat case and goat flock in 2010 and sheep flock in 2012, were tested for PPRV by RT-PCR. About 21 (52.5%) samples were positive. The phylogenetic analysis of the detected viruses revealed circulation of PPRV lineage IV. The circulating viruses are closely related to Sudanese and Saudia Arabian strains with nucleotide identity ranged from 99.2% to 99.6%, respectively. Also, it is closely related to Moroccan 2008 viruses with identities ranged from 97.6% to 98%. Epidemiological investigation at the national level is recommended for monitoring PPRV spread and implementing an appropriate control program., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Despite safe and efficacious vaccines against peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), this virus has emerged as the cause of a highly contagious disease with serious economic consequences for small ruminant agriculture across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We used complete and partial genome sequences of all 4 lineages of the virus to investigate evolutionary and epidemiologic dynamics of PPRV. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of all PPRV lineages mapped the time to most recent common ancestor and initial divergence of PPRV to a lineage III isolate at the beginning of 20th century. A phylogeographic approach estimated the probability for root location of an ancestral PPRV and individual lineages as being Nigeria for PPRV, Senegal for lineage I, Nigeria/Ghana for lineage II, Sudan for lineage III, and India for lineage IV. Substitution rates are critical parameters for understanding virus evolution because restrictions in genetic variation can lead to lower adaptability and pathogenicity.

Small ruminants are important components in the livelihood of millions of households in many parts of the world. The spread of the highly contagious peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease, which is caused by an RNA virus, PPRV, across Asia and Africa remains a major concern. The present study explored the evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics of PPRV through the analyses of partial N-gene and F-gene sequences of the virus. All the four previously described PPRV lineages (I-IV) diverged from their common ancestor during the late-19(th) to early-20(th) century. Among the four lineages, PPRV-IV showed pronounced genetic structuring across the region; however, haplotype sharing among the geographic regions, together with the presence of multiple genetic clusters within a country, indicates the possibility of frequent mobility of the diseased individuals across the region. The gradual decline in the effective number of infections suggests a limited genetic variation, which could be attributed to the effective vaccination that has been practiced since 1990s. However, the movement of infected animals across the region likely contributes to the spread of PPRV-IV. No evidence of positive selection was identified from this study.

Peste des petits ruminants is responsible for an economically important plague of small ruminants that is endemic across much of the developing world. Here we describe the detection and characterisation of a PPR virus from a recent outbreak in Tamil Nadu, India. We demonstrate the isolation of PPR virus from rectal swab and highlight the potential spread of disease to in-contact animals through faecal materials and use of faecal material as non-invasive method of sampling for susceptible wild ruminants. Finally we have performed a comprehensive 'multi-gene' assessment of lineage IV isolates of PPRV utilising sequence data from our study and publically available partial N, partial F and partial H gene data. We describe the effects of grouping PPRV isolates utilising different gene loci and conclude that the variable part of N gene at C terminus gives the best phylogenetic assessment of PPRV isolates with isolates generally clustering according to geographical isolation. This assessment highlights the importance of careful gene targeting with RT-PCR to enable thorough phylogenetic analysis., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute viral disease of small ruminants. The disease was first reported in Tanzania in 2008 when it was confined to the Northern Zone districts bordering Kenya. The present study was carried out to confirm the presence of PPR virus (PPRV) in Tanzania and to establish their phylogenetic relationships. Samples (oculonasal swabs, tissues and whole blood) were obtained from live goats with clinical presentation suggestive of PPR and goats that died naturally in Ngorongoro (Northern Tanzania) and Mvomero (Eastern Tanzania) districts. The clinical signs observed in goats suspected with PPR included fever, dullness, diarrhea, lacrimation, matting of eye lids, purulent oculonasal discharges, cutaneous nodules, erosions on the soft palate and gums and labored breathing. Post mortem findings included pneumonia, congestion of the intestines, and hemorrhages in lymph nodes associated with the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. PPRV was detected in 21 out of 71 tested animals using primers targeting the nucleoprotein (N) gene. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the N gene, indicated that PPRV obtained from Northern and Eastern Tanzania clustered with PPRV strains of Lineage III, together with PPRV from Sudan and Ethiopia. The findings of this study indicate that there are active PPRV infections in Northern and Eastern Tanzania, suggesting risks for potential spread of PPR in the rest of Tanzania., (© 2014 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

We investigated peste des petits ruminants (PPR) infection in cattle and wildlife in northern Tanzania. No wildlife from protected ecosystems were seropositive. However, cattle from villages where an outbreak had occurred among small ruminants showed high PPR seropositivity, indicating that spillover infection affects cattle. Thus, cattle could be of value for PPR serosurveillance.

A Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV) was isolated from an outbreak that occurred in sheep and goats in Nanakpur village of Mathura District in Uttar Pradesh (India). Based on hemagglutination of chicken red blood cells (rbcs), cytopathic effect similar to that caused by the Morbilliviruses in Vero cells, and amplification and sequence analysis of the viral nucleoprotein (N) gene, the identity of the virus was confirmed as PPRV and named PPRV/C. hircus-tc/India/2012/Nanakpur1 (in short PPRV/Nkp1/2012). However, based on its poor neutralization with monoclonal antibodies, escape detection by commercial ELISA, and unsuccessful amplification of the hemagglutinin (H) and the fusion (F) genes by several pairs of published PCR primers it was concluded that the PPRV/Nkp1/2012 may not be closely related to lineage type IV PPR viruses believed to be present in the Indian subcontinent. A plaque assay for titration of the PPRV was developed for the first time. The virus was plaque purified and its growth characteristics were studied in the African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells and baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells. In a one-step growth curve analysis it was concluded that the duration of the PPRV life cycle is 6-8h, an uncharacterized part of PPRV replication. These findings provide information for devising control strategies against PPR in India by choosing a homologous candidate vaccine prototype., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Peste des petits ruminanats (PPR) is an economically important viral disease affecting goats and sheep. Four genetically distinct lineages of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) have been identified. In Gabon, the virus has not so far been detected., Findings: Epidemiological investigations of Aboumi PPR outbreak revealed a high case fatality rate in sheep (98.9%). We detected and characterized peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), in October 2011, during the suspected outbreak in sheep and goats in Aboumi village located in the south-eastern. PPRV RNA was detected in 10 of 14 samples from three sick animals. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the PPRV strain belonged to lineage IV and was closely related to strain circulating in neighboring Cameroon., Conclusions: This is the first molecular detection and typing of the PPRV strain associated with fatal PPR infection in these small ruminants and concrete evidence that PPRV is present and circulating in Gabon.

Peste des petits ruminants virus, which causes a severe disease in sheep and goats, has only recently been officially declared to be present in Tanzania. An epidemiological study was carried out between September 2008 and October 2010 to investigate the incursion, persistence and spread of the virus in Tanzania. The investigation involved serosurveillance, outbreak investigation and computation of epidemiological indices such as the effective reproductive number, persistence and the threshold level for vaccination. Field and molecular epidemiological techniques were applied to isolate, characterise and trace the origin of the virus in Tanzania. A total of 2182 serum samples from goats and 1296 from sheep from 79 villages across 12 districts were investigated. Village-level prevalence of infection was variable (0.00% – 88.00%) and was higher in pastoral than in agro-pastoral villages. The overall antibody response to the virus was 22.10% (CI95% = 20.72% – 23.48%). About 68.00% and 73.00% of seropositive goats and sheep, respectively, did not show clinical signs. The proportion of seropositive animals differed significantly (p ≤ 0.001) between age groups, sex and farming practices. Real-time polymerase chain reaction results showed that the isolated strains belong to lineage III, whose origin is in East Africa and the Middle East. This indicates that one of the northern neighbouring countries is most likely the source of infection. The computed overall effective reproductive number, the threshold level of vaccination necessary to eradicate the disease and persistence were 4.75% and 98.00%, respectively. These estimates indicate that achieving elimination of the peste des petits ruminants virus from pastoral flocks will require significant effort and development of highly effective intervention tools.

Following reports of increased mortality in the small ruminant population of the Sahrawi territories, western Algeria, between January and May 2010, local veterinary authorities suspected an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR). An investigation was implemented in May 2010 and followed up in October 2010 in the Sahrawi refugee camps, Tindouf province, with the objective of confirming the circulation of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). Laboratory results confirmed the presence of PPRV in 33.3% of the samples. Sequence analysis revealed that the virus belonged to Lineage IV and phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship (99.3%) with the PPRV isolated during the Moroccan outbreak in 2008., (© 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Between August 2010 and February 2011, over 750 deaths were recorded among wild goats (Capra aegagrus, the endangered progenitor of the domestic goat) in Kurdistan. Based on the clinical signs and post-mortem findings, the involvement of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was suspected. This was confirmed by laboratory analysis, and the virus was found to be closely related to a Turkish strain isolated in 2000. During the outbreak in wild goats, no disease in domestic animals was reported. Domestic ruminants in the region are routinely vaccinated with an attenuated vaccine based on the 'Nigeria/75/1' strain of PPRV. This is the first report of active PPRV infection in Kurdistan and most likely the immunity afforded by vaccination prevented spillover infections. It is therefore recommended to continue with the campaign. Conversely, there is no justification for the use of force to keep the endangered wild goats away from domestic flocks., (© 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is an important viral disease of small ruminants and is endemic in Pakistan. In the following study, samples from two outbreaks of PPR in goats have been subjected to laboratory investigations. The Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV) genome was detected using both conventional and real-time PCR. Genetic characterization of the local PPRV field isolates was conducted by sequencing 322 bp of the fusion (F) gene and 255 bp of the nucleoprotein (N) gene. The phylogenetic tree based on the F gene clustered samples from both outbreaks into lineage 4 along with other Asian isolates, specifically into subcluster 1 along with isolates from Middle East. Analysis of N gene revealed a different pattern. In this case, the Pakistani samples clustered with Chinese, Tajikistani and Iranian isolates, which probably represents the true geographical pattern of virus circulation. This is the first report presenting the phylogenetic tree based on N gene as well as performing a parallel comparison of the trees of F and N gene together from Pakistani isolates. The results of this study shed light on the PPRV population in Pakistan and emphasize the importance of using molecular methods to understand the epidemiology. Such understanding is essential in any efforts to control the number and impact of outbreaks that are occurring in endemic countries such as Pakistan, especially in the current scenario where OIE and FAO are eager to control and subsequently eradicate PPR from the globe, as has been achieved for Rinderpest., (© 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Antibodies against peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) were first detected in goats in East Africa in 1995 without any clinical disease. It was not until during the years 2006 and 2007 that the disease outbreaks were first reported in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. This study was carried out to detect and characterize PPRV from a suspected outbreak in sheep and goats in the Karamoja region in 2007-2008. Oculo-nasal and blood samples were tested using F-gene-based primers, and their genetic relationships to other sequences in the GenBank database were investigated. A total of 383 samples suspected to contain PPRV were randomly collected and tested. Sixty-seven (17.5%) were positive when F protein gene primers were used. During the years 2007 and 2008, 38.1% (26/67) and 13.0% (41/316) of samples were positive by PCR, respectively. The 2007 sequences clustered with Asian sequences in lineage 4 and Cote d'Ivoire 86 (ICV 86) in lineage 2, while all of the 2008 samples clustered in lineage 1. Over the years, the implicated strains were genetically close (88%-91%) to the vaccine strain (Nig 75/1). Based on this study, the circulating PPR strains in Uganda are heterogeneous, and therefore, the disease may have been introduced from different sources.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is the causative agent of peste des petits ruminants (PPR), an economically important viral disease of small ruminants. In this report, a one-step, single-tube, reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of PPRV. A set of six LAMP primers were designed based on the matrix gene sequence of PPRV to amplify the target RNA by incubation at 63°C for 60min with Bst DNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase. The amplified products could be observed by the naked eye. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay was validated by amplifying eight strains of PPRV isolated in different geographical areas. No cross-reactivity with other related viruses, including rinderpest virus, canine distemper virus and measles virus, was detected. The sensitivity of the assay was similar to that of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 10-fold higher than that of conventional RT-PCR. Twenty clinical samples were evaluated by the RT-LAMP assay, and the results were consistent with those of real-time RT-PCR. As a simple, rapid and accurate detection method, this RT-LAMP assay has important potential applications in the clinical diagnosis of PPR and the surveillance of PPRV., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To develop a reverse genetics system of Peste des petits ruminants virus(PPRV), five pairs of oligonucleotide primers were designed on the basis of the full-length genomic sequence of PPRV Nigeria 75/ 1 strain. Using RT-PCR technique, five over-lapping cDNA fragments, designated as JF1, JF2, JF3, JF4 and JF5, respectively, were amplified, followed by cloning into pcDNA3.1(+)vector. An AscI restriction enzyme site and a T7 promoter sequence were introduced immediately upstream of 5'-end, while a PacI restriction enzyme site was engineered downstream of 3'-end. Using pok12 as a plasmid vector, the full-length cDNA clone pok12-PPRV of Nigeria 75/1 was assembled by connecting the five cDNA fragments via the unique restriction endonuclease site of PPRV genome. The resultant nucleotide sequence of the PPRV Nigeria 75/1 strain in the study was compared with other members of genus morbillivirus, and phylogenetic analysis was used to examine the evolutionary relationships. The results showed that PPRV Nigeria 75/ 1 was antigenically closely related to Rinderpest virus and Measles virus. Successful construction of full-length cDNA clone of PPRV Nigeria 75/1 strain lays the basis rescuing PPRV effectively and enables further research of PPRV at molecular level.

The nucleotide sequences of M and F genes from a field strain of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) ("China/Tib/Gej/07-30") was firstly determined. The M gene was 1 483 nucleotides in length with a single open reading frame (ORF), encoding a protein of 335 amino acids. The F gene was 2411 nucleotides in length, encoding a protein of 546 amino acids. The resulting nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequences were compared with the homologous regions of other PPRV isolates. The nucleotide sequences of M and F genes of the "China/Tib/Gej/07-30" was 92.4%-97.7% and 85.5%-96.1% identical to other PPRV isolates, respectively, while a homology of 97.0%-98.2% and 94.3%-98.2% could be observed at the amino acids level respectively. Several sequence motifs in the M and F genes had been identified on the basis of conservation in the PPRVs and the morbilliviruses. The 3' untranslated region of M gene was 443 nucleotides in length with 82.4%-93.5% identical to other PPRV isolates. The 5' untranslated region of F gene was 634 nucleotides in length with 76.2%-91.7% identical to other PPRV isolates.

Virological and antigenic characteristics of two Indian Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) vaccine viruses namely "PPRV-Sungri/96" and "PPRV-AR/87" were investigated. This investigation included, type of cytopathic effect (CPE) produced, one-step growth curve, antigenic reactivity of viral antigens using a panel of 18 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and ability of viruses for neutralization using a monoclonal antibody directed to haemagglutinin (H) protein. Findings surprisingly indicated that the PPRV-AR/87 is a fast growing virus with an entirely different pattern of cytopathic effect in Vero cell system. This virus has a relatively short replication cycle of 21h with no clearly defined eclipse phase. Whereas, PPRV-Sungri/96 has a replication cycle of 72h with distinct eclipse phase. Both viruses showed very good antigenic correlation (r=0.823) based on reactivity with 18 MAbs in an indirect ELISA, indicating that they are closely antigenically related. PPRV-AR/87 showed a poor neutralization index with antihaemaglutinin MAb 4B11 and poor reactivity in sandwich ELISA using an anti-nucleocapsid (N) MAb as compared to PPRV-Sungri/96. The findings suggest that both these vaccine viruses can easily be differentiated based on the pattern of cytopathic effect and degree of neutralization using MAb 4B11., ((c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Peste des petits ruminants virus is a member of Morbillivirus Paramyxoviridae. The complete genome of a Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) isolate, China/Tib/07 was sequenced and molecular characteristics was analyzed. The internal sequences of the virus genome were amplified by RT-PCR with primers designed according to the published data in GenBank, while the sequences of the 3' and 5' ends of the genome were determined by RACE. Amplification products were directly sequenced,assembled and analyzed with DNAStar4.0. Results showed that China/Tib/07 genome consisted of 15 948 nucleotides in length, encoding six structural proteins and two non-structural proteins just like other known PPRV genomes. Phylogenetically, the virus genome shared homology of 91.6%-98.1% with Southwest Asian isolates among PPRV strains and the highest homology of 64.3% with rinderpest virus among morbillivirus members.

The N gene and genome promoter nucleotide sequence of a Chinese Peste des petits rumiants virus (PPRV) ("China/Tib/Gej/07-30") was firstly determined. The length of N gene was 1689 nucleotides with a single open reading frame (ORF). The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence was compared with the homologous region of other PPRV isolates. The nucleotide sequence of the "China/Tib/Gej/07-30" was 91.7%-97.6% identical to other PPRV isolates, while a homology of 94.9%-98.5% could be observed at the amino acids level. The N gene encoded a protein of 525 amino acids. Several sequence motifs were identified on the basis of conservation in the PPRVs and the morbilliviruses. The genome length of promoter region was 107 nucleotides with 91.8%-98.2% identity to other PPRV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the "China/Tib/Gej/07-30" belonged to the Asian lineage.

In tropical countries the diagnosis of viral infections of humans or animals is often hampered by the lack of suitable clinical material and the necessity to maintain a cold chain for sample preservation up to the laboratory. This study describes the use of filter papers for rapid sample collection, and the molecular detection and genotyping of viruses when stored over long periods at elevated temperatures. Infected blood was collected on filter papers, dried and stored at different temperatures (22, 32 and 37 degrees C) for various periods (up to 9 months). Two animal viruses, African swine fever, a large double-stranded DNA virus and Peste des Petits Ruminants, a negative single-stranded RNA virus, were used to validate the method. Filter papers with dried blood containing virus or control plasmid DNA were cut in small 5mm(2) pieces and added directly to the PCR tube for conventional PCR. Nucleic acid from both viruses could still be detected after 3 months at 32 degrees C. Moreover, the DNA virus could be detected at least 9 months after conservation at 37 degrees C. PCR products obtained from the filter papers were sequenced and phylogenetic analysis carried out. The results were consistent with published sequences, demonstrating that this method can be used for virus genotyping.

Different isolates of peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) from outbreaks in Africa and India were investigated for virulence in West African dwarf goats in the Ivory Coast. Six groups of five animals received a virulent suspension of various strains of virus at a concentration of 10(3) TCID(50)/mL and the goats were observed for 15 days after infection. The Côte-d'Ivoire 89 (CI89), Guinea Conakry and Bissau Guinea PPRV strains caused a peracute disease; the India-Calcutta strain caused acute disease; the Sudan-Sennar strain produced an acute to mild disease, while the Nigeria 75/1 wild-type strain caused a mild disease and the animals recovered. The viruses studied contained examples of PPRV from specific lineage groups based on their nucleoprotein PPRV gene. This experiment indicated that virulence characteristics might be a useful marker to help classify PPRV isolates.